(a) Agencies shall maintain sound relations with industry and labor to ensure (1) prompt receipt of information involving labor relations that may adversely affect the Government acquisition process and (2) that the Government obtains needed supplies and services without delay. All matters regarding labor relations shall be handled in accordance with agency procedures.

(b)(1) Agencies shall remain impartial concerning any dispute between labor and contractor management and not undertake the conciliation, mediation, or arbitration of a labor dispute. To the extent practicable, agencies should ensure that the parties to the dispute use all available methods for resolving the dispute, including the services of the National Labor Relations Board, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the National Mediation Board and other appropriate Federal, State, local, or private agencies.

(2) For use of project labor agreements, see subpart 22.5.

(c) Agencies should, when practicable, exchange information concerning labor matters with other affected agencies to ensure a uniform Government approach concerning a particular plant or labor-management dispute.

(d) Agencies should take other actions concerning labor relations problems to the extent consistent with their acquisition responsibilities. For example, agencies should—

(1) Notify the agency responsible for conciliation, mediation, arbitration, or other related action of the existence of any labor dispute affecting or threatening to affect agency acquisition programs;

(2) Furnish to the parties to a dispute factual information pertinent to the dispute's potential or actual adverse impact on these programs, to the extent consistent with security regulations; and

(3) Seek a voluntary agreement between management and labor, notwithstanding the continuance of the dispute, to permit uninterrupted acquisition of supplies and services. This shall only be done, however, if the attempt to obtain voluntary agreement does not involve the agency in the merits of the dispute and only after consultation with the agency responsible for conciliation, mediation, arbitration, or other related action.

(e) The head of the contracting activity may designate programs or requirements for which it is necessary that contractors be required to notify the Government of actual or potential labor disputes that are delaying or threaten to delay the timely contract performance (see 22.103-5(a)).