On Oct. 4, the General Services Administration released a Request for Information regarding the Biden administration’s “Buy Clean” initiative. The initiative calls for federal agencies to prioritize the use of American-made, lower-carbon construction materials in federal procurement as well as federally assisted projects.
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The Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy will host a roundtable to discuss the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council’s proposed rule that would require federal contractors and their subcontractors to enter into project labor agreements for federal construction projects of $35 million or more. The virtual roundtable will take place on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, from 1-2 p.m. ET. ABC encourages all federal contractors and subcontractors to participate to make their voices heard on this critical issue.
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According to a September 2022 survey of ABC contractor members published today, 98% oppose President Biden’s proposed rule mandating project labor agreements on federal construction projects of $35 million or more. PLA schemes needlessly increase costs and exacerbate the construction industry’s skilled labor shortage because they exclude almost nine out of 10 workers from participating in these contracts.
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ABC recently released a new action alert to help members tell the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council to withdraw a controversial proposed rule opposed by ABC that would require project labor agreements on federal construction contracts of $35 million or more.
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On Sept. 15, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced it had expanded its Severe Violator Enforcement Program to include all hazards and OSHA standards and focus on repeat offenders in all industries.
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On Sept. 15, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs announced that it was extending the deadline for federal contractors to submit written objections to the disclosure of EEO-1 reports from Sept. 19 to Oct. 19. On Aug. 19, the OFCCP published a notice in the Federal Register to inform federal contractors of a Freedom of Information Act request that seeks all Type 2 Consolidated EEO-1 report demographic data (or “Component 1” EEO-1 reports) submitted by federal contractors and first-tier subcontractors from 2016 to 2020. According to the OFCCP, Will Evans from the Center for Investigative Reporting submitted the FOIA request.
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On Aug. 19, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs published a notice in the Federal Register to inform federal contractors of a Freedom of Information Act request that seeks all Type 2 Consolidated EEO-1 report demographic data (or “Component 1” EEO-1 reports) submitted by federal contractors and first-tier subcontractors from 2016 to 2020. According to the OFCCP, Will Evans from the Center for Investigative Reporting submitted the FOIA request. Contractors have until Sept. 19 to submit written objections to the disclosure of their EEO-1 reports.
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On Aug. 26, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit issued its long-awaited decision on the federal contractor COVID-19 vaccine mandate case. In a major victory for ABC and its members, the 11th Circuit’s decision narrowed the December 2021 nationwide preliminary injunction granted by the Georgia District Court to only ABC members who bid on federal contracts and the state plaintiffs in the case. The 2021 injunction was a direct result of ABC intervening as the lone business group challenging the federal contractor vaccine mandate, along with the seven plaintiff state governments.
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The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs recently announced the launch of a new online platform aimed at modernizing how the agency receives notices about construction contract and subcontract awards. The Notification of Construction Contract Award Portal will launch Aug. 26.
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On July 21, the U.S. Department of Transportation published a proposed rule to update its Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program, which assists small businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals in competing for DOT contracts. The stated purpose of the proposed rule is to modernize and strengthen the DBE program to ensure qualifying businesses are able to compete for the increased federal transportation funding provided by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
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