The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has announced that the 2024 contractor certification period will begin on April 1, 2024, with a deadline of July 1, 2024. Federal contractors and subcontractors will need to certify on OFCCP’s Contractor Portal. The agency provided updated resources for this year’s certification, including a webinar and some minor FAQ updates. The User Guide was last updated in September 2023.
In OFCCP's new webinar, the agency states that the certification status of all federal contractor and subcontractor establishments will be reset to “Not Certified” on March 31, 2024.
Change in Timeline
The change in timeline from a March 31 to an April 1 opening may mean increased difficulties for contractors with April 1 affirmative action plan (AAP) dates. These contractors were previously able to certify based on completion of the previous year’s AAPs. Now, they must complete their 2024 affirmative action plans by July 1 to certify compliance.
Updated Resources
The updated FAQs feature minor clarifications and non-substantive updates to wording. One FAQ addresses what to do when a contractor is no longer required to prepare AAPs. The new FAQ instructs contractors that have previously registered in the portal but no longer have AAP obligations to mark the parent company and all establishments or functional/business units as “Closed”.
There is a new FAQ about EEO-1 Identifiers that have more than 15 characters. If an EEO-1 Identifier has more than 15 characters, the contractor is instructed to contact the OFCCP Technical Support Service Helpdesk.
Updates to the User Guide mostly pertain to instructions in the Registration & Records Update section of the Guide. There is new information on editing establishments or functional/business units and on updating the status of these units as open or closed on a facility- or company-wide basis.
Organizations with May and June AAPs
Contractors with AAPs beginning in May or June should consider certifying prior to the expiration of their 2023 plans to avoid the need for a tight turnaround for their updated AAPs.
DCI will continue keeping its clients and the contractor community apprised as more information becomes available. DCI clients should also monitor their emails for additional Contractor Portal resources.
