You should be aware that in an environment where the US Government is letting contracts, the practice of staffing those contracts often does occur prior to award. The interviewer may not have had the type of information you were looking for. Once, I had to prepare for the possibility of staffing 20 people to a remote site weeks after award. Had we not done pre-screens and contingent offers, we could not have been successful. (Ex RG employee)

Sounds very odd and irregular. We work with recruiters too. We have them let candidates know up front, over the phone, that they are calling about a contingent offer so the candidate can decide to interview with us or not. We respect they have a right to know and trust they know how to make their own decisions as professionals and ADULTS. Not waste everyone's time all around. This sounds ridiculous. Something is up with these guys. Too much word on the street that they are failing and on their last legs. Worse still, they no longer have anything of value to offer and are like a dinosaur. The world has already fast outpaced them.