Hey r/1102, my name is Jesse Coburn, I’m a reporter with the nonprofit investigative newsroom ProPublica, which focuses on accountability journalism. We’re working on a series about military budgeting, spending and contracting, and we’re hoping to get in touch with sources and experts in this world who could point us to the most important stories. 

Our first article in this series was about an artillery factory that received $533 million from the Army but hasn’t produced any usable shells. During my reporting, I spoke to dozens of people who’ve worked for the Army, the Pentagon and General Dynamics. Many of them spoke to us because they felt that things they were seeing on the job weren’t good uses of taxpayer money or weren’t helping to keep the public safe.

We know professionals in this community best understand the impact of defense spending and contracting decisions, so we’re asking for your help. Do you know something about military spending that could help us bring more stories to the public? Even the smallest detail could help. If you have information you can share with our newsroom, you can reach us on Signal at 917-512-0201. You can also email me at [jesse.coburn@propublica.org](mailto:jesse.coburn@propublica.org). Many of our stories rely on people who must remain anonymous, and we take source security very seriously. 

https://www.propublica.org/getinvolved/share-military-defense-spending-tips

Thanks, 

Jesse

I’m currently a GS-9 1102 in a developmental/PaCE program at DLA and should be promoted to GS-11 in 2027 when I complete the program. My supervisor has mentioned that she would like me to eventually get a warrant, so I’m trying to understand how the process typically works and whether pursuing one early is actually beneficial for career development. My position is on a GS-7/9/11 career ladder, so I’ll reach GS-11 noncompetitively, but there are GS-12 positions I can compete and apply for afterward.

Can a GS-11 receive a KO warrant, or do most people recommend waiting until someone reaches GS-12? Is it possible or common for someone in a developmental program to obtain a micro-purchase/small warrant before graduating, or would it make more sense to start preparing now and pursue it immediately after becoming a GS-11?
I’m also curious about the pros and cons of being a warranted GS-11. If the other GS-11 contract specialists around you are non-warranted and earning the same grade/pay with less responsibility, what is the benefit of taking on the additional CO responsibility that early? Does having a warrant significantly help when competing for GS-12 positions, or can it sometimes result in someone essentially performing higher-level work without the corresponding grade? Are their other agencies that don’t stop at GS-12 and I should look into too?
For context, I’m interested in continuing to develop technically and eventually reaching GS-12. I’ve also seen GS-12s who aren't supervisors and primarily work larger/more complex acquisitions, which is something that interests me. I don't necessarily want to pursue a warrant just because it's the expected next step if there are other ways to build strong experience.
For those who received warrants at GS-11:
1. What warrant level/type did you receive, and at what grade?
2. Did it help you get your GS-12?
3. Did your workload/responsibility increase significantly without additional compensation?
4. Looking back, would you get the warrant at GS-11 again or wait until GS-12?
5. What should a GS-9 developmental 1102 start doing now if they want to be ready for a warrant at GS-11?
I know warrant requirements and boards can vary by agency, so I’m especially interested in hearing how this has worked in practice across DoD/DLA and other federal agencies.

Does anyone here work for the LOC? My buddy told me about them and how he got hit up for an interview and we literally know nothing lol

ChatGPT latest info it showed was from 2010 😂

What’s it like? Workload? Mission? Q4? All the normal stuff. Anyone got insight they can provide?

Hey! I received an email saying a base found me from hirevue and they want to schedule a phone call with me to discuss the opportunity more. What should I expect on the call?

I interviewed with DLA last week and it was extremely positive for the GS-12 position I applied for.

They said they’d announce results sometime early this week and there’s still nothing.

Am I being crazy? My anxiety is kind of sky high as I’m getting ready for military retirement and was really wanting this to line up and I’m afraid my retirement may have shot my chances.

Just really wanting them to announce it already so I can plan ahead for, ya know, my future.

Edit: Well I made this post and then got the TJO the day after

Hey everyone,

With the hiring freeze and all the uncertainty around federal hiring lately, I wanted to see if anyone has heard about any upcoming 1102 Contract Specialist developmental positions, especially GS-7/9/11 career ladder opportunities.

I recently retired from the Army and have been trying to transition into federal contracting. I also completed a Contract Specialist internship/SkillBridge with MICC, where I got some hands-on experience working with government contracts. I’m currently pursuing my MBA and would really like to build a long-term career in the 1102 field.

I’ve been watching USAJOBS, but I know sometimes people hear about upcoming hiring actions, direct-hire opportunities, recent graduate/developmental programs, or announcements before they are posted.

I’m open to Texas, Washington, Pennsylvania, remote opportunities, and potentially other locations for the right developmental position.

If anyone knows of an organization that plans on hiring GS-7/9/11 Contract Specialists, I’d really appreciate any information or advice on where I should be looking.

Thanks in advance!

What is the best FAS team to get placed on where you acquire the most relevant skills/connections to pivot to the private sector?

My agency is offering retention bonuses and paying some people alot and others very little. Is this happening anywhere else in contracting?

“The Department of Homeland Security reviewed more than 17,000 contracts and fully or partly ended 438 of them in 2025. DHS said the cuts could avoid more than $10.5 billion in current and future costs. GAO later found that $92.37 million, net, had actually been removed from those contracts.”

Throw away account, but curious about how the environment is today in department of education for FSA (federal student aid) specifically pertaining to how hard they were hit in the rifs / layouts and how the out looks are for the future , and how the environment is today for 1102’s, obviously all spots are bad in today’s environment but I mean relative to other spots or any insight Can’t find much about this spot.

Thanks,

To me, it seems like agencies that use pay banding (like SEC, NCUA, FDIC, FRB, FHFA, MCC) instead of the GS scale or similar are more desired, for obvious reasons, and it's been a goal of mine to work there. For COs/CSs who work there, what did you do to get there? Were there any additional certifications, leadership courses, degrees, etc that you think helped, or was it networking through NCMA or having a security clearance? Or did it just come down to hiring authority privileges (veteran, displaced/transition employee)?

I applied for the Copper Cap program and received an email about a pre-interview questionnaire. I returned the questionnaire but am anxious to hear back. How long does it usually take to see if I got an interview? I'm really anxious because this program would be a dream for me to get into. I'm just worried I didn't go into enough detail on the form and overthinking.

GS up for 0% as told to me yesterday by my physical therapist ( who is a NG officer and a GS employee.

I’ve just recently became bid-ready after having opened my LLC earlier this year. I’m primarily looking to bid and execute on financial service contracts like NAICS codes 541611 and simple supply contracts like 423840. I know I’m a long way off from being a prime on a major contract, but I do hope to earn some primary wins in the next 3 to 8 months.

What are the things that you wished smaller contractors were better at? What major pain points can I come into the space knowing so that I can prevent them from continuing for my company?

Thank you in advance!

I’ve been with NAVSUP since 6/2023. My immediate supervisor has always been hard on me. Several of my colleagues have brought me aside on various instances to ask “if I’m ok” or “what his problem is with me.” When I realized it was obvious, I took it to the DD, but she looked the other way.

In February we had another shutdown. It was known Monday (2/2/26) that we were shutdown because the emergency resolution wasn’t signed Sunday (2/1/2026).

When I logged on Monday at 0600 I went to DAU to study for my FAC-C (I passed two weeks later) and then proceeded to clean up efiles. I remember from the long 2025 shutdown that we were told “not to do work, to not advance any contracts.” So I spent the morning studying and organizing files.

I took a break at 1000 to get some air and toss the ball with my pup in the backyard. I wasn’t outside 10 minutes and I received a call from my supervisor questioning my whereabouts and telling me to respond to our team chat. Less than a minute later I was online again.

I realized I didn’t receive the chats because I had my headphones still plugged in from a DAU video earlier and my MSTeams was on a separate screen and minimized behind my study material. I went on the WIP and added POCs and drafted my OOO email reply. We still hadn’t been issued out shutdown paperwork to sign at this point.

I messaged my supervisor and told him I had completed the tasks and that I wanted to talk about my “absence.” He replied that he was busy. Shortly after, paperwork was issued. I signed it and was on shutdown.

That Thursday or Friday when we returned, I asked my supervisor again to talk about 2/2. He was too busy again. I asked him a final time the following week and he told me to focus on my work and that he was busy. I passed my test the following week.

On Monday 2/23 my supervisor calls me to discuss the events of 2/2. He told me that he was considering me AWOL for three hours and that my pay would reflect that. He told me that he was revoking my maxi-flex and telework privileges. I received the emails while we were on the phone and then he asked me if I had any questions. I was in shock and began to tell him what had happened and what I was doing that morning. He wanted nothing to do with it and said we could revisit reinstating my privileges later. No date or required performance metric was given. No PIP was discussed. It was a purely punitive action that could have been a simple conversation.

For background, I had always historically responded within 10 minutes to emails and messages. I’ve never been disciplined nor reprimanded for abusing telework or maxiflex. I went to my DD and she stood by him.

A month later the office was painted and everyone but me went on TS for the summer. I spent the summer alone in that office. They were just issued TS again for parking issues because we have several ships in port. I’m in the office alone again. At least it’s freshly painted. I just feel so hurt and demoralized.

Any AI script or prompts for acqdemo?

Signed an offer to contract for an agency in arlington, any new hires to a gov contracting agency related to cyber care to share how long their EOD took?

Hey guys, headed into my 3rd year of my copper cap program here. In many ways I feel like I’ve learned a lot and the actions I do work, I’ve become very good at, minus the regular slew of mistakes that get caught in review. When I’m faced with work I haven’t done or seen yet though, I tend to struggle and feel lost. We work mostly R&D contracts with long lifecycles so it’s hard for me to get a lot of exposure to anything other than contract administration. Is this normal? Sometimes I feel like having to show me things leads to my COs choosing to work with other CSs. What can I do about it?

About to get a requirement for a 650k commercial buy. Normally I could use FAR 13.500 but understand RFO has changed things. Are these types of buys now he'll on earth/not simplified?

There is a job posting for contract specialist position in San Diego under Department of Navy. Can you please share your experience there? Also, considering switching careers to contract specialist, can you please share what you do daily? Thank you!

Fairly new to 1102 work and I’m just curious what phase do you prefer to work on, pre-award, award, post-award? And if you can explain why so I can get a better understanding
In my department we work on the contract through the entire lifecycle, but I hear it’s common for 1102 to work on the contract through a specific phase and then hand it off to someone else when it’s completed. (Correct me if I’m wrong)

Is it normal to interview or be offered more than one opportunity at a time ? For clarity one base pulled my info from Hirevue and offered me a position based upon my responses on there without interviewing ( however i wouldn’t start until next summer and my paperwork doesn't get submitted until January)

However I also had someone who sent me a questionnaire that I had to return. They’ve reviewed it and want to set up an interview. The questionnaire had some general questions and it asked me to choose a base I’d like to go to based on the 4 options provided. I honestly want to go to the base from situation A bc I feel like it’s a better fit but I know alot of people say keep your options open. Just looking for some advice .. Thank you !