Cries of ‘blacklisting’ as administration cracks down on contractors

DOL issues new guidance on evaluation of labor violations

The Department of Labor has issued new guidance on how contracting agencies should evaluate labor violations when hiring federal contractors.

The guidance is a byproduct of President Obama’s July 2014 Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order, which forces federal contractors to disclose any labor law violations it has had in the last three years when procuring contracts over $500,000.

Industry has coined the order the “blacklisting rule.”

Prior to making an award, the guidance says contracting officers are required to give contractors an opportunity to disclose any steps they have taken to correct any reported violations or improve compliance with the labor laws, including any agreements entered into with an enforcement agency.

With a labor compliance adviser, the contracting officer then has to consider the information and decide if a contractor has a satisfactory record of integrity and business ethics.   ….More

Read the full article at:  http://thehill.com/regulation/243184-labor-department-issues-guidance-for-blacklisting-rule

Source:  The Hill   by Lydia Wheeler,   May 27, 2015


 

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