I don't know much about engineering operations in Afghanistan, but I do know that civilian engineer contractors in Iraq generally stayed on the base and out of harm's way, unless they were directly involved with construction outside the wire.
My first instinct is just to say find out more info on exactly what to expect (with $400k being thrown at you... my guess is you will spend a lot of time outside the wire)... but definitely consider it. That's a very positive line of work to be in out there, you get to help a lot of people, and you work with a pretty broad range of contractors, civilian and military alike. But it will probably be pretty frustrating too.
Good luck either way...
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