• What is EEO and Affirmative Action in Contracts?
• Submitting EEO Forms
• When Submitting
• Common Mistakes
• Contact Information

What Is EEO and Affirmative Action in Contracts? 

The DC Government is committed to and is required to provide equal opportunity in employment for all persons with respect to any contract by and with the DC Government. Additionally, the DC Government promotes the full realization of equal employment through affirmative, continuing programs by contractors and subcontractors in the performance of contracts with the DC Government. In order to accomplish these goals, the Office of the Human Rights (“OHR”) has been tasked with establishing standards and procedures to be followed by contractors and subcontractors performing under DC Government contracts for goods and services, including construction contracts, for the purpose of assuring equal opportunities for minorities and women.Outlined below are the standards and procedures developed by and enforced by OHR for this purpose.

1. EEO Policy: The template should be on company letterhead. The letterhead should include the company’s name, address, and telephone number.
2. Notice of Compliance with EEO Requirements (formally known as Assurance of Compliance): The template should be on company letterhead. The letterhead should include the company’s name, address, and telephone number. Similarly, the correct contract, bid, or solicitation number should be listed, this cannot be left blank. This number should also be correctly identified in the body of the e-mail request as well.
3. Employer Information Report: OHR Follows the EEOC’s EEO-1 Standard (Completing the EEO-1) for this form. Please refer to their FAQ page here.
   1. NOTE: All fields require a response. If a question does not apply to the business structure of the company, please indicate N/A (Not Applicable) as a response. A blank form does not necessarily mean N/A. OHR cannot assume anything for the contractors. Similarly, signature sections MUST be signed accordingly.

When Submitting:

When submitting, please make sure to include the following in the body of the emails for each submission – up to ten per email body:

• Name of contractor
• Contract/solicitation/bid number (this MUST match the number in the EEO document you are submitting).
• Amount
• Construction or non-construction contract

Currently, the review time is between 7-10 days, however, times may vary.

Common Mistakes:

There are several common mistakes that may slow the review time. They are, but not limited to:

• Not having the above three required documents and in one complete PDF
• If revisions are required for one or more documents, send all three documents in one PDF and not just the edited ones.
• Missing dates.
• Employment Data totals are in the wrong row or there are no totals.
• Contract/bid/solicitation numbers are missing from the EEO Policy Statement.
• Business letterheads are missing.
• Having the vendor submit the documents to OHR – they must be submitted by the POC in the agency.
• Body of the email errors:
  • Not having the same contract/bid/solicitation number as in the documents.
  • Not including if the contract is for construction or non-construction.

Contact information:

• Contractors should direct their inquiries to their designated point of contact within the DC government.
• Government agencies managing the prospective contracts should email all questions to [email protected].

Please be aware that questions and submissions sent to any email address other than the one provided will not receive a response.