NT Lakis attorneys have submitted written comments to the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) in support of the agency’s proposal to implement a new “Leadership in Equal Access and Diversity” (LEAD) award. The new award is designed to recognize federal contractors and subcontractors with “comprehensive” equal employment opportunity programs to promote workplace inclusion and fair treatment regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.
Under the agency’s proposal, which was published for public comment on October 19, 2018, award recipients would be granted a three-year moratorium on compliance evaluations and would be expected to develop, and provide input into the development of, technical assistance, outreach, and model practices for use by other federal contractors.
Our comments commend OFCCP for reinstituting the practice of officially recognizing exemplary EEO efforts by federal contractors, as evidenced by the proposed LEAD award. We also offer some recommendations on ways OFCCP could further revise the award criteria to increase participation by worthy contractors and subcontractors.
Members of the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC) can read more here.