The Federal Contracting Process

In recent years, the federal government has increasingly used the contracting process to procure employee-based service work such as cleaning, security, and construction. However, a new analysis shows that taxpayer dollars are routinely being paid to companies that are putting the livelihoods and the lives of workers at risk. Many of the most flagrant violators of federal workplace safety and wage laws are also recipients of large federal contracts. Some of the nation's largest federal contractors fail to pay their workers the wages they have earned or provide their employees with safe and healthy working conditions. This book examines this shortcoming in further detail. It also discusses debarment and suspension, which are among the techniques that agencies use to ensure they deal with vendors who are "responsible" in fulfilling their legal and contractual obligations.