Equal Employment Opportunity Contractor Compliance Activities

A limited review was conducted of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs' (OFCCP) implementation of equal employment opportunity requirements for Government contractors. Little progess has been made in obtaining a comprehensive listing of contractor facilities under each compliance agency's responsibility, and OFCCP and agency officials are still not sure that all contractors subject to regulations have been identified. Compliance agencies may not be selecting for review those contractors with the greatest potential for improving employment opportunities for minorities and women. Compliance agencies have generally used the size of a contractor's workforce as the criterion for selecting contractors for reviews; this procedure may not give adequate consideration to other factors such as employment opportunities and the composition of the workforce. The agencies were not always performing preaward compliance reviews, conducting desk audits, meeting prescribed timetables for completion of reviews, or taking required enforcement actions. Contractors' implementation of affirmative action programs was not always adequately monitored. An examination of several programs approved by compliance agencies revealed inadequate availability data, improper categorization of employees, and improper establishment of goals and timetables. The OFCCP should: implement a system of identifying contractors subject to compliance, establish selection procedures for contractor compliance reviews based on the potential for improving employment opportunities, emphasize that compliance reviews should be performed in accordance with regulations and completed in a timely manner, and provide guidance to contractors to develop availability data compatible with their workforce.