Frequently Asked Questions

Call (703) 919-1147 or email ([email protected]) us if you have questions not answered below.

Founded in 2012, EMF is a small Virginia company dedicated to delivering better value to its staff, industry customers, and government clients.

EMF offers a win-win-win business model. Government clients receive more experienced resources at equal or lower prices. Industry customers (Primes) benefit from a differentiated offering. Our staff members enjoy a larger share of the revenue they generate, control over their assignments, and an improved work/life balance.

Our staff members hold equity in the company, receive a larger share of the revenue they produce, and can tailor their benefits and schedules to their specific needs. We believe each staff member is best positioned to decide what works for them. Except for a small management fee, they receive all the income they generate through their work. This fee covers services such as government regulation-compliant contracts, program management, security, and finance. Thus, our staff doesn't work for us; we work for our team.

We provide highly experienced and in-demand specialists (such as Cybersecurity, Cloud, and Full-Stack developers) at equal or lower price points. These experts help our industry customers win and execute contracts, differentiate their business, and increase profit margins.

EMF delivers more experienced staff at equal or better prices. This more experienced team enables the government to effectively address transformation needs, reduce costs, insert emerging technologies, adopt agile development practices, implement lean enterprise initiatives, and promote cloud adoption campaigns

Due to Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI), EMF performs SETA work for some agencies and development work for others. On the SETA side, we provide System Engineering and Architecture at the enterprise level, including in-demand resources such as cloud and cyber engineering. Our services also encompass System Engineering (design, test, and integration) and functional expertise in SIGINT and GEOINT. On the development side, we specialize in full-stack development, UI development, IT project management, and cyber engineering.

All our positions require an active SCI clearance, with some necessitating a CI poly or higher. We do not engage individuals without active clearances.

EMF supports our staff members in two key ways. Initially, as candidates, we seek positions that align with their job type and income requirements. We handle all back-office functions, allowing our staff to focus solely on their jobs. EMF does not impose additional company tasks, such as annual reviews, proposals, or company meetings, on our delivery staff.

The income we quote to staff assumes 27.5 days off (5.5 weeks). Staff members will earn the quoted income if they take these days off. If they work during some of the 27.5 days, they will earn more than the quoted income; if they take more days off, they will earn less. There is no pre-established allocation for the time off—it can be used for sick days, holidays, or any other purpose. Given the customer's and client's agreement, the time off can be taken at any time with no accrual period.

EMF provides access to group medical, but most of our staff prefer to keep the money and use other mechanisms (spouse, retired military, Obamacare, etc.) to get their medical benefits. As co-owners, 100% of their medical premiums are tax-deductible. According to the Kaiser Foundation annual report, average family medical coverage costs $22,221 and $7,739 for singles. The report indicates that U.S. staff contribute 17% for single premiums and 28% for family premiums. EMF provides tax deductions to offset any additional out-of-pocket expenses. 

 

In addition, our 401K is self-funded and self-managed. You fund the 401K directly with Fidelity Investments when it is convenient for you. As distinct from other companies, with EMF 401K, you can select to purchase any of the thousands of investment instruments Fidelity offers.

EMF operates on three principles: delivering increased income to our members, providing complete financial transparency, and improving staff work/life balance. We increase income by giving staff members a larger share of the revenue they generate and offering tax deductions to retain more of that income. Financial transparency is achieved by sharing all invoice and payment data with staff, updated weekly and available online. By allowing staff to control their work schedules, not requiring a specific number of work hours, and not imposing company-related tasks, EMF enhances their work/life balance.

Each staff member can be a delivery person, a practice manager, or both. Delivery individuals focus solely on delivering their specific skill set (SE, SW, Cyber, PM, etc.). Practice managers share in the profits from the staff they recruit and manage. This allows individuals to create a 'practice' within EMF, akin to having their own company within the company.

Staff members are neither W2 employees nor 1099 contractors. They can't be 1099 contractors because most government contracts do not allow second-tier subcontractors (EMF being the first-tier subcontractor). Instead, staff members are co-owners of the company. As co-owners, they receive tax deductions not available to employees. At the end of the year, EMF staff members receive a K-1 (IRS Form 1065), reflecting their income from the company, which they use to file their taxes instead of W2s or 1099s.

A 1099 form reflects income paid by businesses to a contractor, vendor, or freelancer, while a K-1 form reflects income for a partner from a company they co-own.

As co-owners, EMF staff enjoy several tax deductions unavailable to employees, including Qualified Business Income (QBI) and medical premium deductions. With QBI, EMF staff can avoid paying federal income tax on up to 20% of their EMF income. They can also deduct 100% of their medical premiums. On average, these deductions save tens of thousands of dollars in taxes.

At any given time, EMF has 30 to 40 job openings across our contracts, rotating every two weeks. Maintaining an updated list of these openings is a full-time job, so we focus on finding positions that match our candidates, rather than fitting candidates into positions. This approach provides incredible value to you, ensuring that we find a position that truly fits your needs.

We improve your work-life balance in several ways:

 

1) Flexible work schedule

  • Work schedules are managed by the staff member with the approval of their task lead/GPOC. 
  • We don’t require staff members to work a specific number of hours per week. 

 

You can use this flexibility to shift your work schedule to fit your ever-changing life needs.

 

2) We don’t ask staff members to take on company duties like work reports, annual reviews, proposals, etc. We don’t ask you to attend company events such as Christmas parties, movie events, or happy hours. We believe that if you have time, you want to spend it with friends and family. 

 

3) Flexible time off: with the approval of their task lead/GPOC, staff members can use their 27.5 days off as they see fit with no accrual. In other words, there is no specific set of sick, holiday, or vacation days and no accrual schedule.