Treasury makes push for more women, minorities as contract employees

Treasury Department might push contractors to have more women and minorities in their work force by adding a new clsue to future contracts.

The agency wants contractors to make a “good-faith effort” to bolster their workforce with more women and minorities, according to a Federal Register notice published Aug. 21.

Officials are proposing an amendment to the Department of the Treasury Acquisition Regulation, the supplement to the governmentwide Federal Acquisition Regulation, to include the contract clause, as required by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The bill became law in July 2010.

Treasury is defining a good-faith effort as companies that eliminate employment barriers, widely publish notices of employment, and find ways to reach out directly to minorities and women.

The department proposes to apply the clause to service contracts.

The proposal is open for comments through Oct. 22.