My girlfriend works in a department on a large university doing pretty much all you described.
At the moment though, they are on a hiring freeze. Even contractors are getting little work even though they are swamped with it. This school probably has a billion dollar endowment and it's one everyone has heard of.
I will pass this info along and cross my fingers for you. If they're willing to make you an offer, than means that the contractor jobs will start coming more often
