Just this past week the new rules by the Office of Federal Contracting Compliance Programs (OFCCP) went into effect in an effort to strengthen the recruitment efforts by government contractors to hire more veterans and persons with a disability. As a government contractor compliance SME, we hear a great deal about “good faith efforts” when it comes to recruiting but as a government contractor how do you exhibit the “good faith efforts” to the OFCCP if your company has been selected for an Affirmative Action Plan (AAP) audit?

As a Practice Leader here at Helios I have an opportunity to work with many government contractors grappling with the record-keeping requirements of maintaining their Affirmative Action Plans. Commonly referred to as an AAP, it's a program that outlines the equal employment opportunities and advancement, specifically for businesses with federal contracts or funding. As a government contractor, whether you are a prime or a subcontractor, your company must demonstrate the application of good faith efforts to increase the pool of qualified minority, female, veteran and disabled candidates when recruiting for open positions. The AAP plan is subject to scrutiny by the Office of Federal Contracting Compliance Programs (OFCCP) if your organization is selected for a compliance audit.

Often we hear much about the best practices in Human Resources Management (HRM). So much so that there is frequently confusion about what that exactly means and what the universal practices really are. While a segment of these best practices can be applied comprehensively in most organizations, what might be considered an HRM best practice in one corporate culture, industry, or organization might not be transportable as a best practice in another.

Sequestration Again? Here we are again... news of a potential government shutdown is looming over the national capital region. Wasn’t it just a few months ago that we were coping with sequestration and the potential to have to institute furloughs for our employees?

"What is an Affirmative Action Plan?”, “Does my company need an AAP?”, “How do we implement it?”, “What do I do if we get audited?” These are all frequently asked questions I hear just about every week as the resident Affirmative Action Plan expert at Helios. Let me first preface by sharing that Affirmative Action Plans (AAP’s) are designed to satisfy the equal-employment opportunity/affirmative action responsibilities for minorities and women under Executive Order 11246, as amended; people with disabilities under section 503 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act; and covered veterans under the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Act of 1971.

On January 18, 2013, Executive Order (EO) 13495, Non Displacement of Qualified Workers under Service Contracts went into effect. If you aren't familiar, this requires federal service contract workers the right of first refusal for employment with the successor contractor, who would otherwise lose their jobs as a result of the competition or expiration of a contract. Who Does This Regulation Apply To? The regulations apply to both prime and subcontractors above the simplified acquisition threshold (currently $150,000) and their solicitations, except those excluded that succeed contracts for the same or similar services at the same location. The regulations also excludes certain types of contracts and employees, as well as giving the head of a contracting department or agency the flexibility to exempt contracts from the regulations if it finds the requirements would not serve the purposes of the EO or would impair the government's ability to procure services economically or efficiently.