FAR 22—Application of Labor Laws to Government Acquisitions

Scope of part.

FAR 22.000 explains the scope of FAR Part 22, which is the part of the FAR that addresses labor-related issues in federal contracting. Specifically, it covers three related subjects: general policies on contractor labor relations as they affect the acquisition process, contracting policies and procedures for carrying out applicable labor laws, and the contract clauses that implement each applicable labor law. In practice, this means Part 22 is the government’s roadmap for how contracting officers and agencies should handle labor standards, wage and hour requirements, labor relations considerations, and related clause insertion during acquisition planning, solicitation, award, and contract administration. The section exists to make clear that labor law compliance is not separate from procurement; it is built into the acquisition process and the contract itself. For contractors, this signals that labor requirements may affect pricing, staffing, subcontracting, performance planning, and compliance obligations. For contracting officers, it means labor issues must be identified early and translated into the correct policies, procedures, and clauses.

Definitions.

FAR 22.001 supplies the core definitions used throughout FAR Part 22, which governs labor standards on federal contracts. This section defines who the key DOL official is for wage-and-hour matters, who the agency labor advisor is, what e98 is and how it is used to request Service Contract Labor Standards wage determinations, what counts as a service contract, who qualifies as a service employee, and what is meant by Wage Determinations at SAM.gov. These definitions matter because they determine when labor standards apply, who is covered, and how contracting officers obtain the wage determinations needed to build compliant solicitations and contracts. In practice, the definitions control whether a procurement falls under the Service Contract Labor Standards statute, whether workers must receive prevailing wages and fringe benefits, and which online system is used to access or request wage determinations. They also help distinguish covered service employees from exempt executive, administrative, and professional personnel. For contractors and contracting officers, this section is the starting point for deciding whether labor standards clauses, wage determinations, and related compliance actions are required.

Subpart 22.1

Subpart 22.2

Subpart 22.3

Subpart 22.4

Subpart 22.5

Subpart 22.6

Subpart 22.8

Subpart 22.9