Compliance Stuff

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) launched a new  open data portal  to enhance agency alignment and public access to workforce information collected and maintained by DOL agencies. The portal includes over 40 categories of data from agencies such as OSHA, MSHA and the Wage and Hour Division. Federal contractors should be aware the portal includes company-specific data from  VETS-4212 Reports  previously filed with the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS). Under the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), covered federal contractors and subcontractors are required to annually report, via VETS-4212 Reports, information about the total number of employees and new hires by location, along with information about how many employees and new hires self-identified as protected veterans by location. In a Feb. 18, 2026, announcement, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration & Management (OASAM) explained the portal was develo...

Federal contractors should stay tuned as the Trump administration continues to make big changes impacting contract compliance. Just today, the O ffice of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) published proposed rules to align the agency’s regulations with President Trump’s directive revoking certain affirmative action programs. The new rules – which are just proposals at this point with no effective date – would officially rescind the agency’s prior regulations on race- and gender-based affirmative action plans and update those related to veterans and individuals with disabilities. Last week, the OFCCP asked federal contractors to voluntarily share how they are winding down affirmative action plans, and now the agency is taking its own steps to cement changes . Here are the key takeaways for contractors as you adapt to the federal government’s new direction. 3 New Proposals Impacting Federal Contractors The OFCCP just published three proposed rules in the Federal Register on Jul...

  Last night, President Trump revoked Executive Order 11246 with a new Order titled,  “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity ."   This new Order effectively ends affirmative action  in employ ment  while  allowing federal contractors  and subcontractors  to  continue to  comply with  the regulatory scheme in effect on January 20, 2025,  for an  additional 9 0   days .  T he new  o rder  focuses on non-discrimination in employment and illegal or unlawful D EI  practices.   T he White House also issued an accompanying  Fact Sheet ,   which  outlines  the administration’s  priorities around  streamlining  the federal  contracting  process ,  increasin g  e fficiency   and barring the  Office of Federal Contract  Compliance  Programs (OFCCP)  from “pushing  contractors  to  ...

  Organizations with supply and service contracts with the Federal government are required to comply with multiple sets of regulations in the affirmative action and equal employment opportunity space. Organizations that are new contractors may not know where to begin with this new compliance obligations. To help, DCI has prepared a guide for organizations that are new to Federal Contracting. Know Your Status & Tell the World   About It   Know Your Status    Did you know that the amount of money your organization  can  receive in the coming year – otherwise known as a “ Contract Threshold”  – will affect your compliance obligations?  If your organization has  50 or more employees , you may be a  “Covered Contractor.”        Look below to see if your organization needs coverage and the level of coverage required:     Basic Coverage   $10,000 Executive Order 11246 (EO 11246 Minorities and Females)...

Like clockwork, the 2024 VETS-4212 reporting platform will open on August 1, 2024, with the filings due by September 30, 2024. Unlike the EEO-1 reports, the VETS-4212 reports have maintained a consistent opening date for many years. Quick Hits The 2024 VETS-4212 reporting platform will open on August 1, 2024. All 2024 VETS-4212 filings are due by September 30, 2024. Federal contractors and subcontractors with a single covered contact of $150,000 or more are required to file VETS-4212 reports. The same data can be used for both the 2023 EEO-1 and 2024 VETS-4212 reports provided conditions are met. While there have been some updates to the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Veterans’ Employment and Training Service’s (VETS) frequently asked questions (FAQ) provided on the VETS-4212 landing page, there do not appear to have been any recent major changes to the VETS-4212 reporting process or form. This is in contrast to the EEO-1 filings where changes from the last few years have included di...