A PE is as qualified as an EM in this case. EMs are trained to do wiring on ships as a general rule. They are exempt from the NEC and use very much different systems.
Steve is just humoring us anyway. The Federal Government writes it's own rules, even out in "civvie land". I have worked in lots of government data centers where GSA does the wiring and they pretty much do what they want. They don't get permits and they self inspect. Things do move at "government speed". I had one customer who got frustrated with the plodding pace GSA set and contracted an outside electrician to get his system up. All hell broke loose but he eventually got away with it because it was rental space in a privately owned building so GSA really wasn't supposed to be doing the work in the first place. (although they regularly did).
