Equal Opportunity Requirements For Government Contracts

Executive Summary 

With the Biden Administration's stated goal of advancing equity in government contracting operations, businesses supplying goods or services to the U.S. federal government need to be aware of the equal opportunity requirements the government currently imposes on federal contractors and subcontractors. The current equal opportunity requirements consist of three government regulations: Executive Order 11246, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 ("VEVRAA"). Each of these equal opportunity regulations are applicable when doing business with the federal government or federal agencies, such as the Department of Defense or Department of Health and Human Services. This client advisory will examine each of these three regulations in turn and will provide proposed strategies for compliance.