Labor Dept Issues Final Rule Requiring Federal Contractors to Pay $15 Minimum Wage

Source: GOVEXEC

n Monday, the Biden administration announced its final rule directing federal contractors to pay their workers a $15 minimum wage starting next year.

The rule, promulgated by the Labor Department, follows a directive from President Biden issued shortly after Inauguration Day and builds on a prior Obama-era regulation. After issuing a notice of proposed rulemaking in July, the department received about 245 comments from the public. No significant changes were made in the final rule from what was proposed, said Jessica Looman, acting administrator of the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division, on a briefing call with reporters on Monday.

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What you need to know as DOD ramps up procurement fraud investigations

Source: WashingtonTech

Fraud, waste and abuse risks are making headlines again in Department of Defense contracting. On Sept. 20, 2021, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its report “DOD Fraud Risk Management: Actions Needed to Enhance Department-Wide Approach, Focusing on Procurement Fraud Risks” (GAO-21-309) to congressional committees. To summarize, GAO concluded that DOD needed to take additional actions to enhance its approach to procurement fraud risks. However, considering the publicity the report is generating on Capitol Hill, this report may have implications well beyond the specific recommendations presented.

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Biden Administration Announces More Actions to Help Small Businesses Win Contracts

Source: GOVEXEC

The White House announced on Thursday more actions to help small businesses get involved with federal contracting, particularly by increasing agencies’ accountability and transparency.

President Biden announced in June he seeks to double the share of contracts that go to small, disadvantaged businesses by fiscal 2025 as part of his administration’s goal to narrow the racial wealth gap. Also on November 18, the administration released an outline of its president’s management agenda that prioritizes creating more opportunities for underserved entrepreneurs and all businesses in the federal marketplace. The new actions build on these initiatives.

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