Last week the FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulation) Councils published a spate of new regulations. We discussed one of those last Friday (see Prohibition on Contracting with Delinquent Taxpayers and Felons) and will continue our coverage this week on several that directly affect Government contractors (and prospective contractors). Today we’ll discuss the new prohibition on retaliating against employees who disclose or discuss compensation matters. Now you might think that this is old news and it is, in a way. In 2014, the President issued an executive order (E.O.) called “Non-Retaliation for Disclosure of Compensation Information“. That was followed in September 2015 with the Department of Labor’s implementing rule entitled “Government Contractors, Prohibitions Against Pay Secrecy Policies and Actions“. So, why is it necessary to add more rules; rules upon rules? The FAR Council’s rationalize it this way:
New Regulation Formalizes Ombudsman Practice and Identity for IDIQ Contracts
An ‘ombudsman’ is an official charged with addressing and/or investigating the interests of individuals’ or companies’