Congress is getting serious about what oversight of DoD contracts is supposed to look like. A recent hearing with the Oversight Committee has escalated the need for change in the industry. According to a DoD inspector general report, one aerospace contractor had about $21 million in profits on 150 contracts for military aircraft parts. As the DoD pushes for reimbursement, officials are pushing for more changes in the contracting industry that would reduce the risk of the federal government overpaying to support company profits. Just like grade school, the choices of a few have a negative impact on the faithful. No one wants more paperwork and unnecessary burdens, but it’s also important to ensure that abuse is avoided.
Layoffs Impacting the Cleared Industry
| Citigroup |
While the courts have pushed back on a vaccine mandate from the federal government, some companies are proceeding forward with their own vaccine mandate. Citigroup is the first major bank to move towards terminating noncompliant employees. The Wall Street giant sent a memo to to their employees last week, providing January 31 as the deadline, with proof of vaccination submitted by January 14, according to Bloomberg. While federal government vaccine mandates can be the driving force behind internal policies, some organizations also choose to set their own. Citigroup said that their government contracting arm was a component in the decision to push forward with their internal deadline of January 31. |
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Hiring impacting the Cleared Industry
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Spartronics Corporation |
Aerospace company, Spartronics Corporation, is looking to build a workforce in Williamsport, PA at their new location. The contractor is looking for the next generation workforce for every piece of the process – from engineering to manufacturing.
“Whether it is a circuit board or an entire product assembly, that is what we do. We are a service company to build things,” said Greb Kelble of Spartronics. “We need engineers to do a variety of different things here in terms of professional engineering. We need operators, technicians, and we need people who can come in and learn some very sophisticated stuff and learn how to do it,” said Kelble. |
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Cleared Employer at Work: Microsoft
Are you ready to take on big challenges? Learn more about more about joining Microsoft’s community and explore careers with impact. If you’re a transitioning military service member, explore Microsoft Software and Systems Academy (MSSA).
Opportunity to Watch
According to CNBC, the U.S. has more than 10 million independent contractors – or people who are self-employed. And a recent Senate bill could provide some more clarification between businesses and independent contractors during a state of emergency. There’s always a fine line for businesses to refrain from actions that would seem like an employee-employer relationship.
This bill is one of the many lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses shouldn’t have to worry about how offering masks, hand sanitizer, or other safety supplies to their independent contractors could be seen as acting like an employer. So, whether it’s a pandemic or a hurricane, businesses would be allowed to offer support to independent contractors without worrying about future litigation, since the bill would remove some transactions as allowable evidence in court. July 1 is when the measure would take effect if it’s signed into law.
