Federal HVAC
Florida

Some federal contracts involve classified information. Those contracts require security clearance.

The request must come from the contracting agency. A contractor cannot apply for its own clearance. Once it holds facility clearance, it can request clearance for its employees.

The Defense Security Service (DSS) runs this process. It sits between the government and the contractors who need clearance.

A federal contract or subcontract comes with a duty to guard federal contract information. There are 15 basic cyber security safeguards to apply.

These requirements are based on NIST Special Publication 800-171, and are detailed in FAR Subpart 4.19 and FAR Clause 52.204-21.

Win a federal contract worth $5 million or more and the ethics rules apply. They come from the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

They must put in place a written code of business ethics and conduct. They also need an employee awareness program and an internal control system. And they must report credible evidence of certain violations or large over-payments.

A collective bargaining agreement is a written contract between an employer and a union that represents the employees. Both sides negotiate it at length. It sets wages, hours, and the terms of employment.

Executive Order 11246 covers federal supply and service contracts worth $50,000 or more. Employers on those contracts must take affirmative action. The aim is to raise the share of women and minorities in the workforce.

There is a yearly reporting duty as well. Covered contractors and subcontractors must file EEO-1 and VETS-4212 reports with the government.

Service Contract Act (SCA) Section 4c applies to service contractors. They must meet prevailing wage rulings and pay minimum fringe benefits.

Contractors must keep records during the work and for three years after it ends. Those records cover employee names, addresses, Social Security numbers, work classifications, and hourly pay rates.

They must also show daily and weekly hours, wages paid, and any deductions. Fringe benefits and approved apprenticeship programs go in too.

The Davis-Bacon Act (DBA) sets prevailing wages on public building and public works jobs. It covers construction, alteration, and repair.

Government construction contracts over $2,000 must pay on-site workers the local prevailing wage. The Department of Labor sets those rates and benefits.

The Davis-Bacon Related Acts (DBRA) apply the same rules to much federally funded construction work.

The Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 (DFWA) applies to many federal contractors. To win a contract from a federal agency, they must agree to keep a drug-free workplace.

E-Verify is required on federal contracts that run at least 120 days and are worth $100,000 or more. The threshold for subcontractors is $3,000.

It covers everyone hired during the contract term to work in the U.S. It also covers anyone assigned to the federal contract itself.

These laws and executive orders reach subcontractors too. Many Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) extend to any subcontractor doing covered work. The contractor stays responsible for that compliance.