Complex bureaucratic hierarchy and the usage of endless acronyms are two distinctives of almost any federal government institution. As a contractor, the last thing you have is free-time to navigate the mess so here is a quick one-minute breakdown of who’s who and what the acronyms mean.
U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)
Promotes the welfare of U.S. job seekers, workers and retirees. (Improving conditions, advancing opportunities, protecting rights & benefits etc)
DOL Wage & Hour Division (WHD)
Operates under DOL, specifically it enforces federal pay and benefits regulations for U.S. workers. Including all workers on government contracts covered under two specific acts:
The Davis Bacon Act more on that here
The Service Contract Act more on that here
General Services Administration (GSA)
The GSA is the federal government’s independent agency which builds, manages and preserves government buildings, leases commercial real-estate, offers private sector professional services, equipment, supplies, and IT to government organizations and the military. It oversees over $66 Billion in procurement annually. The GSA provides contractors with inside track forecasting on prime upcoming contracting opportunities here:
https://www.gsa.gov/buying-selling/forecast-of-contracting-opportunities
It then releases available contracts and opportunities through:
https://beta.sam.gov/
It also makes upcoming contracts and bid requests available to third party companies such as
about.bgov.com (bloomberg)
govwin.com (deltek)
