U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS ADMINISTRATION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20210 October 12, 1972 MEMORANDUM #108 TO: All Government Contracting Agencies of the Federal Government and the District of Columbia SUBJECT: AMENDMENT OF THE SERVICE CONTRACT ACT OF 1965 On October 9, 1972, the President signed into law H.R. 15376 which amends the Service Contract Act of 1965. A copy of the amendments is attached. As you will note, the amendments contain no prospective effective date; consequently, they became effective upon the approval of the President. The Department of Labor is reviewing the amendments, preparing-interpretative materials, and drafting necessary amendments to the Regulations in 29 CFR Parts 4 and 6, which will be published in the Federal Register very shortly. These amendments to the Regu- lations will be in effect on an interim basis pending receipt of comments from interested parties (including contracting agencies) and the formulation and promul- gation of the amended Regulations in final form. Particular attention is directed to the amendments to sections 2(a)(1) and 2(a)(2)-of the Service Contract Act with respect to use by the Secretary of Labor in wage determinations of the wage rates and fringe bene- fits provided in collective bargaining agreements covering service employees. Under these amendments to sections 2(a)(1) and 2(a)(2), the Secretary must include such collectively bargained wage rates and fringe benefits (including prospective increases) in a wage determination except where he concludes that they were not bargained at "arms-length" or after it has been found upon hearing that they are "substantially at variance with those that prevail for services of a similar character in the locality." - 2 - It is therefore essential that contracting agencies, in submitting notice of intention to make a service contract (SF-98), secure and attach copies of any current collec- tive bargaining agreements between any incumbent con- tractor and representatives of his service employees working on a contract for such services at the same loca- tion. This will avoid delays in processing the necessary wage determinations. If a notice of intention to make a service contract is received without the pertinent collec- tive bargaining agreements attached (assuming any apply), it will be returned for further action by the agency. Section 4(c) provides generally that a successor contractor must pay at least the wage rates and -fringe benefits paid pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement by his prede- cessor and must place in effect any prospective increases called for by the agreement, Section 4(c) also contains a proviso under which the Secretary of Labor may upon a hearing disallow collectively bargained wage rates and fringe bene- fits which are substantially at variance with those-pre- vailing in the locality. This proviso will be used in all appropriate cases and the Department of Labor will develop a speedy and efficient hearing procedure. Agencies are requested to give the Secretary of Labor a timely notice of any situation requiring such a hearing. A further problem is posed for the contracting agencies By section 2(a)(5). This requires the agency to include in the service contract: "A statement of the rates that would be paid by the Federal agency to the various classes of service employees if section 5341 of Title 5, United States Code, were applicable to them." Accordingly, the contracting agency must prepare for each such contract a statement (1) identifying those classes of service em- ployees that are expected to be employed in the perform- ance of the contract and that would be subject to 5 U.S.C. 5341 if they were direct hires, that is, the so-called "wage board" or "blue collar" classes of employees not included in the General Schedule category, and (2) showing the wage rate and fringe benefits that would be paid to each class so listed, if section 5341 were applicable. Such a statement is mandatory. - 3 - A further provision of section 2(a)(5) provides that the Secretary of Labor shall give "due consideration" to such rates in making "the wage and fringe benefit determinations" required by the Act. Accordingly, in order that the Secretary of Labor can give "due con- sideration" as required, the agency "statement" must be prepared in advance and a copy attached to the notice of intention to make a service contract (SF-98). Any notice of-intention that does not include such a statement, or includes an incomplete statement, will be returned to the agency for further action. Agencies must give prompt and careful attention to this new provision of law so that the procurement process will not be delayed. Section 10 of the amendments requires the Secretary of Labor, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1973, to issue a wage determination for all contracts under which more than twenty-five service employees are to be employed, Information must be included on the SF-98 as to the number of service employees expected to be employed in performance of the proposed contract. The Department of Labor will return for further action any SF-98 which does not include a specific figure or a statement that not more than twenty- five service employees will be employed. The changes made by the amendments in the wage determina- tion process are effective upon the date of enactment. Accordingly, in cases where a notice of intention to award a service contract (SF-98) has been submitted by the con- tracting agency and no response has been received from the Department of Labor prior to the effective date-of the amendments, the Department will take no action until a new notice with the necessary attachments has been submitted which will enable it to comply with the requirements im- posed by the amendments. The Department of Labor will not on its own-motion reopen cases, however, where a notice (SF-98) has been received and acted upon prior to the ef- fective date of the amendments. With respect to governmental action on procurements already in process on the effective date of the amendments, the Department of Labor has concluded that it is not the intent 4 of the amendments to apply the new procedures in those cases where, as of October 9, 1972, negotiations for a proposed service contract have been concluded, or bids for such a contract have been opened, or competi- tive proposals solicited by the agency for such a con- tract have been received and were being considered. Consequently in such cases it will not be necessary for the contracting agency to submit a new notice of inten- tion to award a service contract (SF-98) with copies of any applicable collective bargaining agreements and of the agency's statement of wage board rates to the Depart- ment of Labor for use in determining wage rates and fringe benefits applicable to the contract. However, since the SCA amendments are effective upon signature of the President, the obligations imposed on successor contractors by section 4(c) of the amendments appear plainly applicable to any such contractor under a contract subject to the Act awarded after such effec- tive date, irrespective of whether wage determinations applicable to such contract require payment of the col- lectively bargained wage rates and fringe benefits to which service employees employed on the contract work would be entitled if they were employed under the prede- cessor contract. It is important that contractors under- stand this obligation. It is recognized that there are provisions of the amend- ments which will require study before a definite position can be taken. It is not the intent of this memorandum to interpret the amendments beyond the necessities for imme- diate agency action. Arrangements will be made at an early date for a meeting in Washington of representatives of the principal contracting agencies to review mutual problems and to consider any matters of interest arising from these amendments. -5- The Department of Labor will keep the agencies fully informed of important developments and decisions. Your cooperation and assistance is sought in working out practical answers to problems. Warren D. Landis Assistant Administrator Attachment GRAPHIC “AMENDMENT TO THE SERVICE CONTRACT ACT OF 1965”