Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP)

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) is part of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment Standards Administration. It has a national network of six regional offices, each with district and area offices in major metropolitan centers. The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs enforces three equal employment opportunity (EEO) programs: Executive Order 11246 (as amended), Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (as amended), and the affirmative-action provisions of the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974. The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs also shares enforcement authority for regulations requiring EEO and affirmative action in apprenticeship programs, immigration programs, and the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965, Executive Order 11246 prohibits discrimination in hiring or employment decisions on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, and national origin. It applies to all nonexempt government contractors and subcontractors as well as federally assisted construction contracts and subcontracts in excess of $10,000. Contractors and subcontractors with a federal contract of $50,000 or more and 50 or more employees are required to develop a written affirmativeaction program that is designed to ensure equal employment opportunity and sets forth specific and action-oriented programs to which a contractor commits himself with good faith.
Section 503 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act prohibits discrimination and requires affirmative action in all personnel practices for qualified individuals with disabilities. It applies to all firms that have a nonexempt government contract or subcontract in excess of $10,000. An affirmativeaction program is required.
The Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act prohibits discrimination and requires affirmative action in all personnel practices for all veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. military—ground, naval, or air service— or who are special disabled veterans, Vietnam-era veterans, recently separated veterans, or veterans who served on active duty during a war or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized. It applies to all firms that have a nonexempt government contract or subcontract of $25,000 or more. An affirmative- action program is required.
The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA, 1986) requires employers to maintain certain records pertaining to the citizenship status of new employees. These records are examined during the course of compliance reviews and complaint investigations. Results are reported to the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
When Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act became effective in July 1992, most qualified individuals with disabilities attained protection against employment discrimination through that act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
In carrying out its responsibilities, the OFCCP uses a variety of enforcement procedures, including

• technical assistance to federal contractors and subcontractors to help them understand the regulatory requirements and review process
  
• compliance evaluations and complaint investigations of federal contractors’ and subcontractors’ personnel policies and procedures
  
• obtaining conciliation agreements from contractors and subcontractors who are in violation of regulatory requirements
  
• monitoring of contractors’ and subcontractors’ progress in fulfilling the terms of their agreements through periodic compliance reports
  
• linkage agreements between contractors and Labor Department job-training programs to help employers identify and recruit qualified workers
  
• recommendation of enforcement actions to the Solicitor of Labor

The ultimate sanction for violations is debarment—the loss of a company’s federal contracts. Other forms of relief to victims of discrimination may also be available, including back pay for lost wages.
The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs works with many other federal agencies, including the Department of Justice, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Department of Labor. It coordinates with the Office of the Solicitor, which advises on ethical, legal, and enforcement issues; the Women’s Bureau, which emphasizes the needs of working women; and the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training, which establishes policies to promote equal opportunities in the recruitment and selection of apprentices. The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs also works with the Employment and Training Administration, which administers Labor Department jobtraining programs for current workforce needs.