Frequently Asked Questions

The Jacobs ETASS Team understands that contract transitions are times of uncertainty and are often stressful for an incumbent workforce. We are committed to making our hiring process as quick, orderly, and hassle-free as possible. We hope these Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) will give you a better idea of who we are and about our employment process.

Follow the links below to the topic of your choice. We will continue to update this page throughout the transition, so please check back often. Please also check our Phase-In Schedule for frequent updates.

Questions about the ETASS Contract

Questions about the Interviewing and Hiring Process

Questions about Jacobs ETASS Team Benefits

Phase-In Schedule

The ETASS Contract

Q: What is the ETASS contract?
A: The Engineering and Technology Acquisition Support Services (ETASS) Contract replaces a portion of the ITSP II Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) Contract and incorporates new requirements. It is a single award, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract that initially includes 7 discrete task orders which will expand to incorporate work on more than 20 task orders at Hanscom, Wright Patterson, Maxwell-Gunter, Peterson, Langley, Lackland, Robins, and other Air Force bases nationwide. The contract term is a one-year base plus two, one-year options.

Q: Is there a way to meet some of the Jacobs ETASS Team leadership to ask my questions in person?
A: Yes. We have held numerous Town Hall Meetings to introduce the Jacobs ETASS Team. We have given brief overviews of benefit plans and the hiring process and have held interactive Q&A sessions. The Town Hall Briefing is now posted online at our website. Our General Manager, Task Leaders, and Process Directors are on-site and available at our Welcome Center located at 55 Old Bedford Road in Lincoln, MA. We would be pleased to meet with any of you.

Q: Will there be any Town Hall or WebEx conference calls in January 2008?
A: Yes. Currently we plan to hold Town Hall Meetings at Hanscom on 22 January 2008 and 1 February 2008. WebEx calls will also be scheduled soon. Our best source of schedule information will be this web site.

Q: Who are the members of the Jacobs ETASS Team?
A: The Jacobs ETASS Team is composed of three companies – Jacobs Technology Inc., P3I, Inc., and Oberon Associates, Inc. Information about our Team is provided on the Our ETASS Team page of this site. This page provides a general overview of our Team and more detailed information about each of the Team members as well as links to each teammate company's parent website. In addition, we have opened a Welcome Center where we will have Team representatives available to answer any questions you may have.

Q: What is the Phase-In period for the contract?
A: ESC plans to have tasks transitioned by 31 March 2008. If you have specific questions about the Phase-In period and how this may affect the hiring process at your location, please feel free to send us an e-mail at etass@jacobs.com, and we will respond to you as soon as possible.

Q: Where can I find information concerning the Phase-In schedule and other information concerning the contract transition?
A: We are updating this web site routinely, so the best source of information is this site. We also encourage you to review the Town Hall Meetings where we provide you with an overview of Jacobs and our teammates and brief overviews of benefit plans and the hiring process. In addition, we invite you to contact us at etass@jacobs.com if you have specific questions concerning employment.

Interviewing and Hiring Process

Q: I am working on the ITSP II contract now. How do I apply for a job with one of the Jacobs Team companies?
A: Incumbent employees are the first priority of the Jacobs Team in filling ETASS contract positions. To date, we have received over 1,000 applications and have conducted over 700 interviews. We are mapping the candidates to task order labor categories. To ensure we have the right information and make the transition process as smooth as possible, we ask all candidates to fill out an online application. These applications are confidential and secure. To begin your confidential application process, click here. If you have any questions about submitting your application, contact us at etass@jacobs.com.

More information about our hiring process is available at the Town Hall Meetings page.

Q: Why do I need to submit an application if my task order isn't being released right away?
A: We expect to begin an accelerated hiring process to staff the seven task orders which have been awarded. We also expect as many as seven additional Task Orders to follow very quickly. The initial seven include:

• 551st ELSG AWACS
• 651st ELSS Weather Squadron
• 643rd ELSS Engineering and Integration
• 653rd ELSW Global Information Grid (GIG)
• 850th ELSG COCOM C2
• 853rd ELSG Global Air Traffic Management (GATM)
• 950th ELSG Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR)

We ask all candidates, regardless of current task order assignment, to apply now so the process can move quickly and smoothly as we staff these task orders and others as they are released. We will continue to welcome all applications submitted throughout the phase-in.

Q: You say that your online application is on a secured site and that my information will be encrypted and kept strictly confidential. However, when I click on the employment application, I don't see this. Is my information secure?
A: The Jacobs Online Employment Application has always used a secured site. We have removed the inline frame, so the secured site URL is now visible in the address line and the lock symbol in the status line. Please be assured that your information, regardless of when you submitted your application and resume, was submitted through this 128-bit SSL encryption site. If you have any questions about the application process, please contact the ETASS Phase-In Team at etass@jacobs.com.

Q: I am not working on this contract now, but I would like to apply for a job. How can I do this?
A: ETASS positions are available to outside applicants. It is our intent to hire the best qualified candidates, regardless of previous ITSP II experience, so you are encouraged to apply online.

Q: Do I have to submit a resume along with my employment application?
A: It is recommended but not required if you chose to manually enter all of the required information in the online application. If you have an up-to-date resume, you are encouraged to upload it to our electronic system. Having access to your resume will greatly assist us in accurately assessing your qualifications against open positions and will save you the trouble of filling out some of the fields.

Q: Do I need to do anything now, or do I wait for you to contact me?
A: Yes, you need to complete an application. You may also want to:

• Update your resume or complete all required on line application fields – You must complete the current employment fields on the online and paper applications, but you can attach your resume rather than fill out the past employment fields. Many applicants find it easier to update their resume.
• Hang on to your most recent pay stub – We ask you to provide a copy of a recent pay stub so we can verify some of your employment information. You can attach an electronic version of your pay stub to your online application or e-mail your pay stub to etass@jacobs.com. Otherwise, just bring the pay stub copy with you when you are called for an interview.
• Make sure you have your Social Security Card handy – If you have misplaced your card, or if your name has changed but you have not gotten a new card, you can file for another card by contacting your local Social Security Administration (SSA) office and by completing and returning an application for a Social Security Card. It typically takes up to two weeks to receive a replacement card, but you may want to check with your local SSA office.
• Make sure you have documents ready to prove your employment eligibility (Employment Eligibility Verification, Form I-9) – We will need you to complete an I-9 form to provide evidence of your eligibility to work in the United States. The I-9 form, along with instructions and a list of acceptable documents you will need to complete the form, will be included with your offer letter.

Q: You're telling me to hang on to my most recent pay stub. Is a copy of my pay stub required?
A: A copy of your pay stub is not required to complete an application. However it will be required before we complete the mapping and offer process. Pay statements often give us useful information that help us speed up the process, so we encourage you to provide one early but NLT than the interview.

Q: Will you interview all incumbent employees?
A: All incumbent employees who submitted an application are being given priority consideration for employment. We are evaluating all application submissions against the task order requirements. It is possible, based on the new contract labor categories and new contract requirements, that some may not be called for an interview. This makes it all the more important that you carefully complete your application to include your relevant skills, education, certifications/licenses, experience, and salary requirements and get your application to us as soon as possible. We will continue to welcome incumbent applications while we expand our process to include non-incumbents.

Q: I currently work for an ITSP II contractor who is not part of your ETASS Team. Can I continue to work for my current employer under the ETASS contract?
A: No, and this is why we are asking all incumbent employees to fill out an online application as quickly as possible. The Jacobs ETASS Team is composed of three companies – Jacobs Technology Inc., P3I, Inc., and Oberon Associates, Inc. Information about our Team is provided on the Our ETASS Team page of this site. We believe our Team achieves the USAF's vision of a small and agile, fully-integrated systems engineering provider and offers ETASS employees excellent opportunities for challenging and rewarding work, training, and advancement. There are no current plans to bring on any other contractors.

Q: Which company will my offer come from?
A: Your offer can come from any of the Jacobs ETASS Team companies, regardless of where you work or what you do. The Jacobs ETASS Team companies are working together as an integrated Team. This means we will not set aside specific jobs, functions, or departments for a particular company; rather, we will assemble the right skill mix from across the Team to meet the workload requirements. We have worked hard to ensure that our ETASS Team compensation programs and benefits packages are comparable, so regardless of which Team member extends you an offer, we believe you will be pleased. If you have a preference for which teammate you desire to work for, please indicate that preference in your application or during the interview process, and we will do our best to accommodate you.

Q: When will offers be made?
A: The offer process has already started and is continuing. Our USAF customer has stated that they intend to do a phased task order transition approach. Therefore, our offers will largely be made to the applicant pool we have on file on a task order-by-task order basis. We anticipate having most offers for each task order made within two weeks of each task order release. Regardless of the task order release, we still request you submit our application as soon as possible .

Q: How will I receive my offer?
A: We will call you when your offer letter is available. We can also e-mail it to you, mail it to you, or leave it for you to pick up at the Welcome Center if you are in the Hanscom AFB area. We will not be able to discuss your offer over the phone.

Q: I might be out of town while offers are being made, and I do not want to miss mine. What do I need to do?
A: Just let us know if you are going to be out of town at any time during the phase-in period. We will work with you to make other arrangements for your employment offer and orientation session.

Q: How long do I have to respond to the employment offer?
A: We ask that you let us know within 10 calendar days from the time that you are notified that your offer is available.

Q: What do you need from me when I accept my offer?
A: We will need you to sign and return your offer letter, and we will ask to see your Social Security Card. We need to make sure the name on your payroll check or deposit advice matches the name on your Social Security Card exactly. This is because the Social Security Administration uses your Social Security Number, plus the first seven characters of your last name, to post wages. Your Social Security records may not be credited with earnings if the information is not accurate or does not match. IRS Regulation Section 31.6011(b)-2(b)(1)(i) requires that employees provide employers with their Social Security card when requested, if it is available.

We will also need you to complete an I-9 form to provide evidence of your eligibility to work in the United States. The I-9 form, along with instructions about the supporting documents you will need to complete the form, will be included with your offer letter.

Q: I cannot find my Social Security Card. What do I do?
A: If you have misplaced your card or if your name has changed but you have not gotten a new card, you can file for another card by contacting your local Social Security Administration (SSA) office and by completing and returning an application for a Social Security Card. It typically takes up to two weeks to receive a replacement card, but check with your local office to make sure.

Q: Some of my co-workers are getting offer letters, but I have not received an offer letter yet. Does this mean I will not be offered a job?
A: Do not be alarmed if you do not receive an offer letter at the same time other people around you are notified. We will try our best to distribute offer letters as quickly as possible, and that may mean that all offer letters are not ready at the same time. In some cases, we must wait until we are permitted to discuss specific task order duties with the Government.

Q. I interviewed and haven’t yet received a job offer. What do I do?
A. Hang in there. We need to discuss several things with the government before we can complete staffing the first seven task orders. We also need to receive the Statements of Objectives for the remaining task orders. Please keep in mind there have been two budget cycles since we submitted our proposal and the government may need to make changes to adjust for fiscal realities. We are committed to letting you know as soon as possible.

Q: When are you going to begin on-boarding employees?
A: It depends on the task, but we should start on-boarding employees mid-January 2008.

Q. Will there be any Town Hall or WebEx conference calls?
A. Yes, Town Hall meetings at Hanscom AFB are scheduled. Please visit the Transition Information section of this web site for more information.

Jacobs ETASS Team Benefits

Q: What benefits are going to be offered?
A: All Jacobs ETASS Team companies offer a similar suite of benefits. These include:

• Medical, dental, prescription drug, and vision insurances
• Paid leave programs
• Retirement/savings plans
• Supplemental life and accident coverage for yourself and your dependents
• Medical and dependent care reimbursement accounts
• Disability plans – Company paid benefit
• Bonus programs
• Tuition reimbursement and training plans

Q: Where can I get more information about the benefits each of the Jacobs ETASS Team companies offer and what my cost will be?
A: Additional information will be included with your offer letter and during your Employee Orientation Session.

Q: Will there be any differences in the benefits packages between the companies?
A: The Jacobs ETASS Team companies have worked together to ensure that benefits features are comparable across the Team, including paid leave, medical insurance, savings plans, administrative leave, tuition reimbursement, bonus programs, and merit pay increases. While our benefits are not exact matches on a feature-by-feature basis, the overall packages offered by the teammate companies are comparable and support our integrated team approach. One key factor in these differences is that the companies existed long before our coming together as a team, and we already had existing contracts with medical, dental, and life insurance providers and 401(k) administrators. Re-negotiating these contracts right now to provide exactly identical benefits would, in the end, be more costly to you, the employee.

Q: How do I enroll in the new benefits programs?
A: Each Jacobs ETASS Team company will hold Employee Orientation Sessions. You will get a detailed explanation of benefits and have a chance to complete enrollment paperwork at these sessions.

Q: When will these orientation sessions be held?
A: We will begin scheduling them soon after offer letters are released, and we will call or e-mail you with the dates, times, and locations.

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