March 15, 2023

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a new initiative to promote equal opportunity by federal contractors in the construction trades on large federally funded projects and help bring more underrepresented communities into the workforce. The newly launched “Mega Construction Project Program,” established by the Office of Federal Compliance Programs (OFCCP), will focus DOL’s efforts to bring the public and private sectors together on a select group of projects known as “Megaprojects” to provide a diverse pool of qualified workers with access to good jobs in the construction trades. Megaprojects are large federal construction projects valued at $35 million or more – some part of which must receive federal funding – and that last more than one year.

For the initial group of designated Megaprojects, OFCCP will partner with the General Services Administration and the Department of Transportation – two Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding agencies – and provide extensive and no-cost compliance assistance to contractors and subcontractors to support recruitment, hiring, and fair employment practices, with a particular focus on getting more underrepresented communities, including women, into the construction workforce. For each Megaproject, OFCCP will provide free, continuous, on-the-ground assistance to help project owners with stakeholder outreach and information sharing, providing connections to recruitment resources in the community so that projects can make full use of the local workforce to get the needed talent.

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