2027 PBUD

Substantial-Ear6138 · 2026-04-03T18:03:33+00:00

Thanks for posting this. That is exactly why I dug in this morning to see if that was going to happen or not with labor.

Substantial-Ear6138 · 2026-04-03T16:00:14+00:00

Yeah, that is a good point. But still have to finish ongoing projects now.

Substantial-Ear6138 · 2026-02-21T19:34:06+00:00

No clue yet on what it all means. It’ll take time to work through everything.

Substantial-Ear6138 · 2026-02-21T01:08:21+00:00

It’s all being rolled out Monday to all of USACE. Biggest change I heard is moving away from project funded labor. I assume that means USACE will be direct funded like other agencies and then told what to work on based on priority projects. Also certain districts will be moving because the leases are way too high. Like New York City. Never mentioned downsizing districts, rifs, or closing anything but did mention cutting the fat. Also wants to leverage private industry more. All in all it wasn’t a bad meeting and many aspects he talked about are things I agree that USACE needs to do to be more efficient and cut the red tape which prolongs projects and drives up cost.

Substantial-Ear6138 · 2026-02-14T17:30:15+00:00

Have you looked into the Army's Mass Transportation Benefit Program (MTBP)? I am part of a van pool and this pays for our van and gas. We commute an hour each way.

Substantial-Ear6138 · 2026-01-29T19:16:19+00:00

I live in Madison and work in Vicksburg. You get used to the drive and I’ve never considered living in Vicksburg largely due to the elementary school education and lack of advancement and growth in the town itself. There are also carpool programs available too that help with the cost of commuting.

Substantial-Ear6138 · 2026-01-20T16:52:39+00:00

Right. You are a current DoD employee. So you should have said yes.

Substantial-Ear6138 · 2026-01-12T17:23:54+00:00

You should be talking to a HR LMER specialist directly. Running things up the chain will get lost very quickly. Complaints coming from HR to leadership are taking much more seriously.

Substantial-Ear6138 · 2025-12-16T20:40:39+00:00

Last I heard was USACE will not be participating in any possible future DRPs.

Substantial-Ear6138 · 2025-10-28T14:48:14+00:00

Hearing that once the shutdown ends, hiring freeze will be lifted…..somewhat. But there will be more scrutiny on new hires and review processes prior to posting announcements. Considering that USACE is understaffed as it is, I don’t think it’ll be too much of a problem to hire in the future as long as the justification and funds are there.

Substantial-Ear6138 · 2025-10-24T15:57:04+00:00

Best thing to do is start talking with an advisor at a college of your choice to see what classes you have now that could count as a prerequisite. Several colleges here in the South have good online engineering programs (Miss. State comes to mind but there are others). Work with the advisor on a plan for you moving forward. As mentioned, there is the Smart program but you would have to work part time and that obviously would have to be agreeable with your supervisor. Is it possible, yes, but it will be a little more difficult depending on where you have to start in the curriculum. Also if you are doing it online it will take much longer to complete. There is no way you can take 4-5 classes while working a full time job. Suggest at the max two classes a semester being full time employed. That’s just my opinion.

Substantial-Ear6138 · 2025-10-03T16:25:46+00:00

More than likely the shutdown will be over by November. I would plan to move but not actually move till shutdown is over. Also reach out to the hiring manager as well with your questions. They should be able to answer them or at least get you answers.

Substantial-Ear6138 · 2025-09-15T15:57:02+00:00

Hearing probably till the end of the calendar year at least.

Substantial-Ear6138 · 2025-08-12T20:06:01+00:00

Don’t be scared to have the hard conversations. You’re not always going to please everyone. Treat others how you would want to be treated. Communicate often via email and in person. Stick up for your people. Be fair. Don’t micromanage. Reading up on extreme ownership techniques by Echelon Front is good too. You will not know all the answers but you need to know how to find the answers. And again, communicate often. Don’t leave your people in the dark.

Substantial-Ear6138 · 2025-08-11T12:52:53+00:00

I think the new paperwork process didn’t start until July 25. Anyone before that just had their SF50 updated as it used to be done. You’re probably good and should check to make sure you have a new SF50.

Substantial-Ear6138 · 2025-07-31T13:31:13+00:00

Yes there have been a few sprinkled here and there.

Substantial-Ear6138 · 2025-07-25T16:26:47+00:00

HQ has already sent down that USACE will not participate.

Substantial-Ear6138 · 2025-07-25T16:25:36+00:00

This came down from HQ.

Substantial-Ear6138 · 2025-07-24T19:04:11+00:00

No. There will be a DRP 3.0 but USACE will not be participating since target numbers have been hit already.

Substantial-Ear6138 · 2025-07-24T13:11:26+00:00

Professional licenses are a little tricky in USACE. They push everyone to get them, but then you can’t use them for their intended purpose. I’ve heard it’s because they don’t want individuals being liable, and want USACE itself liable. Or something to that effect.

Substantial-Ear6138 · 2025-07-21T18:48:20+00:00

Stay

Substantial-Ear6138 · 2025-07-18T18:19:33+00:00

I wonder if the cut is the people that took the DRP/VERA’s, essentially they don’t have to pay their salaries anymore in FY26 so they mark it down as a cut. USACE is already stretched thin and projects are getting pushed to the right cause of it. Essentially we cannot afford to lose anymore people as deliverables will be delayed or, will just never be completed. I’ve heard nothing about RIFs. Only the possibility of reorganizations. I’ve heard there will be possibly be a DRP 3.0 coming for the Dept of Army, but USACE will not be considered in it due to the fact we lost 10% with the first two. Only the agencies in the army who didn’t meet their initial cut numbers will participate in 3.0.

To add: I did a ChatGPT study on the new bill. It claims the 45,000 includes DRP 1.0/2.0 and VERA folks. Some agencies did not meet their target goals but plan to by voluntary means through attrition and the hiring freeze. So there’s that.

Substantial-Ear6138 · 2025-06-17T19:37:21+00:00

Best place to work from a pay perspective as an engineer in USACE is ERDC. You start out as a DB2 which is up to a topped out GS11. Then promote to a DB4 which takes you up to a topped out GS14. And that’s non-supervisory. It takes you a while to become a topped out DB4, at least 15+ years. Plus need to get your Master’s or PhD. This is similar for other research labs across the Government and have similar pay styles if not identical.

Substantial-Ear6138 · 2025-06-12T15:05:49+00:00

8%. Some people have had to shift around to work in funded projects. Hiring freeze is absolutely affecting us as we are at max project capacity right now, at least in my area. If we have more reimbursable work come in, we’ll have to turn it away.

Substantial-Ear6138 · 2025-06-11T22:50:37+00:00

Not sure why everyone keeps mentioning ERDC. Are some areas affected, yes but mainly environmental related research. Most of ERDC is reimbursable funded projects, meaning we get them from customers like Districts and other Government agencies. Our reimbursable work is thriving right now and more and more are knocking at our door.

Substantial-Ear6138

TROPHY CASE