"employee compensation"

It should come as no surprise that the contracting policy changes in the National Defense Authorization Act for 2014 [pdf] reflect a continued focus on reducing spending. But they also encourage collaboration between the government and the private sector and emphasize the need for innovative contracting strategies and greater flexibility in the procurement process, which may benefit contractors in the long run. Here is a breakdown of a few of the highlights:

  • Extension of restrictions on contractor services spending. Section 802 of the 2014 NDAA amends Section 808 of the 2012 NDAA to extend the temporary limit on the amounts obligated for DOD spending on contract services in FY 2014 to the amount requested for contract services in the President’s budget for FY 2010. It also requires that the heads of each Defense Agency continue the 10-percent-per-fiscal-year reductions in spending for staff augmentation contracts and contracts for inherently governmental function for FY 2014, and requires that any unimplemented amounts of the 10 percent reductions for FY 2012 and FY 2013 be implemented in FY 2014.
    Continue Reading Procurement reforms in the FY 2014 National Defense Authorization Act

Activity by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs points directly toward a new focus on discrimination in employee compensation. A settlement with AstraZeneca involving pay disparities averaging only $1,700 requires the company to conduct additional statistical analyses of pay for hundreds of employees. OFCCP rescinded the 2006 standards for assessing pay discrimination and published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking announcing a