It is that time of year again when we dust off the compliance crystal ball and take a look at what might be in store for 2014.

1. Executive Order 13627 Changes Government Contracting -

Want a government contract in 2014 and beyond? Then pay particular attention to the groundbreaking executive order on human trafficking.

More than 300,000 companies call the world’s No. 1 purchaser of goods and services—the U.S. government—a customer. And only the rarest of companies is not at least somewhere in the supply chain of the government’s direct suppliers. It is safe to say that the compliance reality for this significant part of the global business sector will likely undergo a significant shift in 2014.

On Sept. 25, 2012, President Barack Obama signed groundbreaking Executive Order 13627 on trafficking in persons in government contracts. As the president put it, ‘‘as the largest single purchaser of goods and services in the world, the United States Government bears a responsibility to ensure that taxpayer dollars do not contribute to trafficking in persons.’’

Originally Published in Bloomberg BNA White Collar Crime Report - January 10, 2014.