Alston & Bird Government Contracts Blog

Executive Order

The OFCCP’s New Contractor Portal: Here is What Federal Contractors and Subcontractors Ought to Know

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The Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contractor Compliance Programs (OFCCP) both administers and enforces the following three equal employment opportunity laws: (1) Executive Order 11246; (2) Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; and (3) Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (VEVRAA), as amended.[1] These aforementioned laws forbid employment discrimination and mandate that federal contractors implement Affirmative Action Plans (AAPs) that guarantee equal employment opportunities for covered classes.[2] Pursuant to 41 CFR § 60-2.10, “an affirmative [...]Read more

Chris Roux Quoted in Law360 on Trump’s Infrastructure Plan

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On August 18, Alston & Bird Construction & Government Contracts partner Chris Roux was quoted in the Law360 article “Trump Infrastructure Order Shows Strategy Without Clear Plan.” The article discusses the potential impact of President Donald Trump’s August 15 Executive Order that was intended to push the government to complete environmental reviews to approve or deny major infrastructure projects within a two-year time frame, on average. The Executive Order also repeals an order signed by President Barack Obama in 2015 that required federal agencies and developers to factor in climate [...]Read more

Government Contractors May See Changes in Cybersecurity and IT Procurement

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On Monday, June 19, 2017, President Trump’s newly established American Technology Council met for the first time at the White House to begin discussions on modernizing government information technology (IT) systems. As President Trump reportedly stated during the meeting, “Our goal is to lead a sweeping transformation of the federal government’s technology that will deliver dramatically better services for citizens.… Government needs to catch up with the technology revolution.” Executives from companies such as Amazon, Apple, Intel, Adobe, Akamai, and Microsoft were in attendance. When [...]Read more

The Trump Administration’s Move Toward Pro-Employer Policies

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On March 27, 2017, President Trump signed House Joint Resolution 37 under the Congressional Review Act, which in essence blocked the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order (the “Blacklisting Rule”) signed by President Obama. By signing this Resolution, the Blacklisting Rule and the Department of Labor guidance remain in place, but as a practical matter will not be enforced by the Trump Administration. This Resolution will have minimal impact on government contractors in the short term since the Eastern District of Texas already issued a preliminary injunction in 2016 enjoining the implementation [...]Read more

The Washington Post Quotes Jeff Belkin on Obama Order on Contractor Workplace Violations

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On August 31, Alston & Bird Construction & Government Contracts partner Jeff Belkin was quoted in the Washington Post article “Obama Order on Contractor Workplace Violations Takes Effect Soon, Despite Objections.” The article discusses some of the issues surrounding the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order that will compel potential government contractors to report violations covering 14 workplace protections from the previous three years. As indicated by Belkin, the new regulations could turn into a “blacklisting rule” that may shut out “many highly capable, ethical and [...]Read more