Federal Contractors Should Be Ready for a Government Shutdown

Attention government contractors: the 2017 federal fiscal year is about to end. Unfortunately, government shutdown is highly likely since the Congress has not yet approved the spending bills for fiscal year 2018. In preparation for a potential shutdown, it is vital for prevailing wage contractors to place themselves in the best possible position to control expenses and prevent delays that can start by October 1st.

Government contracting to-do-list during a government shutdown

• Government contractors should assess the terms of the project.

The type of funding primarily determines whether government contracting will continue. If the project is incrementally funded then chances are high that it will be put on hold. Work performed at government facilities are more affected during a government shutdown due to lack of employees, limited work hours, or complete closure.

• Contact the government contracting officer.

Prevailing wage contractors should consult the contracting officer on whether a stop work order will be issued. It is important to know if there are other authorized persons to issue the order in case of a furlough.

• Government contractors should continue working in accordance with the contract.

The project will still continue as long as no official stop work order has been issued yet. Workers will still report and be given proper compensation unless they are turned away from doing their responsibilities.

• Ensure proper documentation.

Prevailing wage contractors should ensure that all communication and steps take during the shutdown are properly documented. Failing to do so might cause delays in the reimbursement of expenses. This will also negate any assumption from the contracting officer that instructions were not followed and proper mitigation of damages was not done.

• Ensure proper mitigation.

Delays in government contracting are most likely to occur during a shutdown. Prevailing wage contractors should be assertive in controlling expenses such as reassigning the roles of the workers to other contracts. A commendable effort like this will ensure fast reimbursement of expenses.

ARCHER JORDAN Helps You Succeed in Government Contracting

Government contractors should check if the workers were properly compensated for the work they rendered prior to the shutdown. ARCHER JORDAN will help you accomplish this so that all things are ironed out no matter what the fate of the project will be. Consult us now!