Someone else want to field that? I'm too busy spitting up on my keyboard.
“There is a big difference between a TSA screener and a procurement person.”
That is a valid and accurate statment in the context of the article. Not everybody can do any job. A procurement person (I.E. Contracting Officer or Contracting Specialist) are specialized positions that require quite a bit of education and training (usually some background in business law and/or accounting). I don’t think you can qualify for either of those contracting positions unless you have a 4 year college degree or better.
A TSA screener is more of an entry level position that does not require advanced degrees or experience nor does it have the same types of responsibilities that a contracting position has. Contracting positions put alot of legal & financial obligaions on an employee for the specific work they do and these people really need to be sharp.
A Contracting Officer has the final say on how a contract is written, executed and sometimes awarded. They have to be experts in the world of contracts. They can be held responsible for anything that goes wrong with work that they approved. Their integrity muust be above reproach and they must not have any conflicts of interest. It is a position that can land you in jail if you are not 100% honest.