FAR 22.102—Federal and State labor requirements.

Policy.

FAR 22.102-1 states the Government’s policy that agencies must cooperate, and must encourage contractors to cooperate, with Federal and State agencies that enforce labor requirements. The section covers a broad set of labor-law topics: safety, health and sanitation, maximum hours and minimum wages, equal employment opportunity, child and convict labor, age discrimination, disabled and Vietnam veteran employment, employment of workers with disabilities, and eligibility for employment under U.S. immigration laws. In practice, this means contracting personnel should not treat labor compliance as isolated to one statute or one agency; instead, they should support coordination with the appropriate enforcement authorities when labor issues arise on a contract. The policy is intended to promote consistent enforcement of labor standards across federal contracting and to reduce the risk that contract performance will conflict with applicable labor laws. For contractors, the practical effect is that they may need to cooperate with labor-related inquiries, inspections, or compliance efforts tied to these subject areas. For agencies, the rule reinforces that labor compliance is part of contract administration and oversight, not an optional or separate concern.

Administration.

FAR 22.102-2 explains how agencies and contracting officers should use Department of Labor resources to support contractor labor needs and how to coordinate with DOL enforcement offices for wage-and-hour and safety matters. It covers agency cooperation with the DOL Employment and Training Administration (DOLETA) and local employment offices, including use of local labor market recruitment and the Federal-State employment clearance system for staffing new or expanding facilities. It also identifies the Department of Labor’s role in administering and enforcing the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Wage and Hour Division’s role in enforcing several labor statutes that commonly arise in federal contracting: construction wage rate requirements, Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards, the Copeland Act, the Materials, Supplies, Articles, and Equipment statute over $10,000, and the Service Contract Labor Standards. In practice, this section tells agencies to help contractors access public employment services and tells contracting officers when to involve DOL regional offices under the applicable labor subparts. The section exists to promote efficient hiring, support workforce planning, and ensure that labor standards and safety requirements are administered consistently through the proper DOL channels.