Pros
Because I work in the field in government relations I do not deal with the petty, political oriented frenzy often found in the D.C. area. My real results with core constituents along the Gulf makes both ERT and NOAA look good. Independence is good for my position. Glad to see the company finally move to direct deposit reimbursements instead of mailing checks out. ERT recently offered Roth 401k option via Fidelity; company match is likely average.
Cons
Having never met anyone from ERT I do not have much loyalty for the company. As with other NOAA contracting companies I assume ERT's primary concern is obtaining future government contracts. Little support for non-D.C. workers in terms of temporary assignments, primarily due to budget issues. Contracts likely geared for a few years after which the employee is likely expected to move up or out elsewhere. I technically work for ERT (pay, health benefits, 401k, etc) but deal primarily with NOAA personnel; therefore I have 2 separate tracks of superiors. Although I understand the very real differences between contractors and actual government employees I feel NOAA/ERT cannot have it both ways; expecting employees to perform very similar duties as that of actual government employees yet not treating them the same as their government counterparts.