General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums$43 Million spent. Just 15 people hired.
The Administration Signed a Contract to Bring on 7,500 Border Personnel. It's Hired Just 15.
ERIC KATZ | NOVEMBER 26, 2018 4:49 PM ET
A consultant hired by the Trump administration to boost the number of border agents and customs officers has brought on just 15 of the 7,500 called for in its $300 million contract, according to figures provided by the agency.
Customs and Border Protection has so far obligated $43 million on the contract with Accenture, which is worth up to $297 million over five years. The agency invested $23.5 million in Accenture hires and an additional $19.1 million for start-up costs. The company has so far produced just 15 employees who have actually started working for CBP. Another 33 have accepted job offers.
CBP issued the contract to help fulfill President Trumps mandate that the agency hire 5,000 new Border Patrol agents, which he issued through executive order shortly after taking office. Accenture was tasked with onboarding those 5,000, plus an additional 2,000 customs officers and 500 air and marine officers. Accenture gets paid on a per-hire basis, most of which comes when CBP sends an offer letter to a candidate and the remaining amount when the employee actually starts working.
The $43 million already obligated was slated for Accenture to help CBP bring on 600 employees. CBP is still confident the spending will bear fruit, with a spokesperson saying Accenture has 3,700 additional candidates in the hiring process. The contractor expects a gradual increase of candidates to successfully exit the process in the coming months, the spokesperson said.
More:
https://m.govexec.com/management/2018/11/administration-signed-contract-bring-7500-border-personnel-its-hired-just-15/153036/
Renew Deal
(81,856 posts)It looks like starting salary is $29,000. Who can afford that?
A HERETIC I AM
(24,368 posts)These positions for the most part require being stationed/moving to a border town. Ive been to a few of the towns along the Mexico border in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and California, and you can count the number of decent cities on one hand. The rest of the installations are places like Sierra Blanca, Texas or Nogales Arizona.
Not exactly cultural hubs.
It cant be easy to convince someone to move to the desert Southwest for crappy pay to perform a job that involves giving people a hard time.
Renew Deal
(81,856 posts)Wounded Bear
(58,648 posts)to find the right kind of RW asshole bigots to serve.
Bettie
(16,100 posts)they probably have to go through some basic questions like..
Are you OK with locking little children in cages?
Do you think it is acceptable to tear gas small children?
Are brown people actually people?
Weeds out the ones with any kind of conscience, but it takes some time.
benld74
(9,904 posts)Are well known by all
Yet
THIS Administration spends spends spends
Enriching the contracting agency
not_the_one
(2,227 posts)when I read Accenture?
Just asking..
mr_lebowski
(33,643 posts)Cause ... I doubt it.
My bet is that this is all just finders fees, and probably involves some training, but the $300M is NOT the money for the agent's salaries. We're still on the hook for that as taxpayers as well. And benefits, etc, etc.
This almost surely just a giveaway to GOP-connected 'headhunters'.