The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), after giving federal contractors and subcontractors several opportunities to submit objections, recently published EEO-1 data for contractors that “either affirmatively agreed to, or did not object to, the release of their EEO-1 data.” For contractors that have submitted objections, OFCCP is in the process of considering those objections and will make determinations as to whether the information provided must be disclosed or may be withheld under FOIA Exemption 4. In the event that OFCCP determines that a contractor’s EEO-1 data must be disclosed, OFCCP will provide the objecting contractor with written notice of its determination and a specified disclosure date, which will be set to occur at a reasonable time after the determination notice is issued.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) recently announced the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) hiring benchmark for 2023. Effective March 31, 2023, the hiring benchmark will be 5.4 percent, slightly down from 5.5 percent in 2022. This benchmark is an annual goal for the percentage of hires who are veterans at each affirmative action plan (AAP) establishment.

Contractors Must Update Forms by July 25, 2023

The Construction Labor Research Council (CLRC) has released its annual report on Union Labor Costs in Construction. The report is useful for understanding current trends in collectively bargained compensation for union craft workers in the construction industry, providing data analyses by region and trade. It can be a valuable resource when preparing for collective bargaining negotiations, particularly when used in conjunction with CLRC’s latest Settlements Report.

Check out learning opportunities for environmental and sustainability professionals

First place awarded to Alec Kalogeropoulos from Roger Williams University

Cost-of-the-work agreements (aka “cost plus” contracts) are commonly used in commercial construction contracting to establish the terms and conditions for a project based on the cost of the work performed.[i] The major families of standard construction contracts include a cost-of-the-work plus overhead and profit in their product offerings. In light of price escalation, supply chain disruptions, and rampant inflation, cost-plus contracts have been identified as a contracting tactic to address price uncertainty that still runs rampant in today’s design and construction industry. ConsensusDocs is offering a webinar that will take a deep dive into cost-of-the-work agreements and factors in evaluating if, how, and when to set a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) on such agreements. You can register for the April 26th webinar here.

The James L. Allhands Essay was established by the late James L. Allhands, one of the founding members of AGC and a prolific writer of construction related works. The award recognizes a student essay on a specific topic that is deemed to be beneficial to the advancement of technological, educational, or vocational expertise in the construction industry.