Waiting on Tesa application from contractor

[jmartin 0]

Hello, 

 

I was wondering if anyone was under similiar situation like me. I applied for a company that won a contract and they told me they are waiting on getting the TESA approved from the government (German?) to send out offer letters to candidates to start the TESA application.

 

Ive done some research and read on a website that the TESA process can take up to 18 weeks. That sounds like a long time to keep someone waiting.

 

Has anyone applied to contractors who won bids and and were in limbo waiting to start their own TESA process?

[JG52 539]

The Technical Expert Status Accreditation process for contracts in Germany initially requires two steps.  The first step, called the Contract Notification, is approving the contract through the U.S. system, DOCPER, and each German state where the contract will be working.  During the Contract Notification, the position descriptions are also reviewed to ensure they meet the definition of "technical expert" as defined by Article 73 of the NATO SOFA and the supplemental Exhange of Notes.  This can be a lengthy process depending on how many German states must review the package and how busy the personnel are in the respective tax offices.  The 18-week processing time is an estimate and could take longer if the package is submitted during the vacation season, if there are multiple states involved, or if the only person on the Finanzamt is out sick.  Once the Contract Notification is complete and the vendor receives approval from DOCPER and the German states, the decision is final and valid through the life of the contract.

 

The second step is the review and approval of the individual contractors.  Each package is reviewed to ensure the applicant is not Ordinarily Resident and has the appropriate qualifications identified in the approved position description.  Like the first step, the individual review is done by DOCPER and the German Finanzamt.  This can take up to six weeks, depending on the workload and availability of the personnel in the tax office.

 

In most cases, it is possible to submit the individual TESA packages with the Contract Notification package, but this is at the discretion of DOCPER and the German Finanzamt.  The process will still take time to complete.

 

If the accreditation is under Article 72 of the NATO SOFA, then the process will take much longer.  Article 72 covers troop care and analytical support.

[jmartin 0]

Much appreciate JG52. I just wish this stuff was more transparent for the applicants especially when moving overseas as it is very disruptive with family and needing to plan accordingly. So far, I've been waiting for almost over 8 weeks to start TESA step two. So I guess I would be looking probably around December on hearing something.

[jmartin 0]

So I finally got the initial job offer after waiting 6 months of 51k plus 10% cola plus 23k housing.  Comes around 78k, lower than discussed in the initial interview and less than what I made in my civilian job. Granted I had to work shift, holidays, and overtime, but this would require that too.

 

The offer does seems to be a better deal at the end of the day since living costs were high and was paying taxes, but on the low end considering I have a Masters Degree, 10+ years of experience, TS clearance, CCNA, and the job is in SATCOM/IP in the Ramstein area. 

 

Other costs such as schooling,401k, relocation still need to be discussed, but what is a good living allowance? I see an E-7 w/dependents bring up to 2100 euro/mo and 900 euro in COLA. This is well over my threshold.(euro $1.22 as I write this).

 

any tips?

 

Thank im advance!

 

 

[CycleDE 0]

First, let me say that JG52 is on the money. And no, TESA is not something you can personally apply for. In fact it is really 3 approvals: contract, position, and then person. I'll add that the process is more convoluted than it sounds. It requires approval by US and German officials. Approval is based on rules, but involves judgement calls. Take care to get all data right the first time and every time. Mistakes cost time for rework. Finally, experience and efficiency of your contractor makes a huge difference. A first-time contractor is up against a big learning curve. An experienced support team with an approved contract can pre-check your application, ensure it is complete and correct. I've seen contractors approved in as little as 2 weeks (3rd step), but that is near best-case. The 6 month experience is probably a first time contractor who might have made an offer even before they had the contract, much less the TESA approval.

 

Check out detailed help from DOCPER at: https://wr.acpol.army.mil/dcops-user/

 

I've heard of contracts supporting 65 to 100 percent of State Department Living Quarters Allowance (LQA), a fixed dollar amount or nothing at all. LQA is based on cost of living; it is adjusted monthly and varies by location. The allowance also varies based on number of dependents. You can see the current allowance at: https://aoprals.state.gov/Web920/location.asp?menu_id=95