SRA International – “Do not go here for growth”

Pros

The sole pro of working with SRA as a government contractor was sponsorship for a security clearance and exposure to the clients.

Cons

Salries are incredibly low in comparison to competing employers. SRA does not adjust your salary for promotions are transfers to more demanding projects. Promotion process was never explained and nepotism ran rampant. Management did not take into account client recommended adjustments to staff wages. This cost SRA my last project when they chose to federalize the positions because SRA didn't pay a high enough salary to recruit qualified candidates, despite having a 50% profit margin. Great decision for me since the client hired me directly at a rate 20% more than I was making with SRA.

Advice to Senior Management

Develope internal training and support for advancement. Scale wages accordingly with the value of the contract for the employees actually workling on the project. That is, quit raiding performing contracts for funds to support sales staff and health clinics unavailable to the vast majority of your employees working at on-site locations.