(a) Agency responsibilities. (1)(i) The Federal agency has the initial responsibility to ascertain whether the clauses required by § 5.5 and the appropriate wage determination(s) have been incorporated into the contracts subject to the labor standards provisions of the laws referenced by § 5.1. Additionally, a Federal agency that provides Federal financial assistance that is subject to the labor standards provisions of the Act must promulgate the necessary regulations or procedures to require the recipient or sub-recipient of the Federal assistance to insert in its contracts the provisions of § 5.5. No payment, advance, grant, loan, or guarantee of funds will be approved by the Federal agency unless it ensures that the clauses required by § 5.5 and the appropriate wage determination(s) are incorporated into such contracts. Furthermore, no payment, advance, grant, loan, or guarantee of funds will be approved by the Federal agency after the beginning of construction unless there is on file with the Federal agency a certification by the contractor that the contractor and its subcontractors have complied with the provisions of § 5.5 or unless there is on file with the Federal agency a certification by the contractor that there is a substantial dispute with respect to the required provisions.

(ii) If a contract subject to the labor standards provisions of the applicable statutes referenced by § 5.1 is entered into without the incorporation of the clauses required by § 5.5, the agency must, upon the request of the Administrator or upon its own initiative, either terminate and resolicit the contract with the required contract clauses, or incorporate the required clauses into the contract (or ensure they are so incorporated) through supplemental agreement, change order, or any and all authority that may be needed. Where an agency has not entered directly into such a contract but instead has provided Federal financial assistance, the agency must ensure that the recipient or sub-recipient of the Federal assistance similarly incorporates the clauses required into its contracts. The method of incorporation of the correct wage determination, and adjustment in contract price, where appropriate, should be in accordance with applicable law. Additionally, the following requirements apply:

(A) Unless the Administrator directs otherwise, the incorporation of the clauses required by § 5.5 must be retroactive to the date of contract award or start of construction if there is no award.

(B) If this incorporation occurs as the result of a request from the Administrator, the incorporation must take place within 30 days of the date of that request, unless the agency has obtained an extension from the Administrator.

(C) The contractor must be compensated for any increases in wages resulting from incorporation of a missing contract clause.

(D) If the recipient refuses to incorporate the clauses as required, the agency must make no further payment, advance, grant, loan, or guarantee of funds in connection with the contract until the recipient incorporates the required clauses into its contract, and must promptly refer the dispute to the Administrator for further proceedings under § 5.13.

(E) Before terminating a contract pursuant to this section, the agency must withhold or cross-withhold sufficient funds to remedy any back wage liability resulting from the failure to incorporate the correct wage determination or otherwise identify and obligate sufficient funds through a termination settlement agreement, bond, or other satisfactory mechanism.

(F) Notwithstanding the requirement to incorporate the contract clauses and correct wage determination within 30 days, the contract clauses and correct wage determination will be effective by operation of law, retroactive to the beginning of construction, in accordance with § 5.5(e).

(2)(i) Certified payrolls submitted pursuant to § 5.5(a)(3)(ii) must be preserved by the Federal agency for a period of 3 years after all the work on the prime contract is completed, and must be produced at the request of the Department of Labor at any time during the 3-year period, regardless of whether the Department of Labor has initiated an investigation or other compliance action.

(ii) In situations where the Federal agency does not itself maintain certified payrolls required to be submitted pursuant to § 5.5(a)(3)(ii), upon the request of the Department of Labor the Federal agency must ensure that such certified payrolls are provided to the Department of Labor. Such certified payrolls may be provided by the applicant, sponsor, owner, or other entity, as the case may be, directly to the Department of Labor, or to the Federal agency which, in turn, must provide those records to the Department of Labor.

(3) The Federal agency will cause such investigations to be made as may be necessary to assure compliance with the labor standards clauses required by § 5.5 and the applicable statutes referenced in § 5.1. Investigations will be made of all contracts with such frequency as may be necessary to assure compliance. Such investigations will include interviews with workers, which must be taken in confidence, and examinations of certified payrolls, regular payrolls, and other basic records required to be maintained under § 5.5(a)(3). In making such examinations, particular care must be taken to determine the correctness of classification(s) of work actually performed, and to determine whether there is a disproportionate amount of work by laborers and of apprentices registered in approved programs. Such investigations must also include evidence of fringe benefit plans and payments thereunder. Federal agencies must give priority to complaints of alleged violations.

(4) In accordance with normal operating procedures, the contracting agency may be furnished various investigatory material from the investigation files of the Department of Labor. None of the material, other than computations of back wages, liquidated damages, and monetary relief for violations of § 5.5(a)(11) or (b)(5), and the summary of back wages due, may be disclosed in any manner to anyone other than Federal officials charged with administering the contract or program providing Federal assistance to the contract, without requesting the permission and views of the Department of Labor.

(b) Department of Labor investigations and other compliance actions. (1) The Administrator will investigate and conduct other compliance actions as deemed necessary in order to obtain compliance with the labor standards provisions of the applicable statutes referenced by § 5.1, or to affirm or reject the recommendations by the Agency Head with respect to labor standards matters arising under the statutes referenced by § 5.1.

(2) Federal agencies, contractors, subcontractors, sponsors, applicants, owners, or other entities, as the case may be, must cooperate with any authorized representative of the Department of Labor in the inspection of records, in interviews with workers, and in all other aspects of the investigations or other compliance actions.

(3) The findings of such an investigation or other compliance action, including amounts found due, may not be altered or reduced without the approval of the Department of Labor.

(4) Where the underpayments disclosed by such an investigation or other compliance action total $1,000 or more, where there is reason to believe that the contractor or subcontractor has disregarded its obligations to workers or subcontractors, or where liquidated damages may be assessed under CWHSSA, the Department of Labor will furnish the Federal agency an enforcement report detailing the labor standards violations disclosed by the investigation or other compliance action and any action taken by the contractor or subcontractor to correct the violations, including any payment of back wages or any other relief provided workers or remedial actions taken for violations of § 5.5(a)(11) or (b)(5). In other circumstances, the Department of Labor will furnish the Federal agency a notification summarizing the findings of the investigation or other compliance action.

(c) Confidentiality requirements. It is the policy of the Department of Labor to protect from disclosure the identity of its confidential sources and to prevent an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. Accordingly, the identity of a worker or other informant who makes a written or oral statement as a complaint or in the course of an investigation or other compliance action, as well as portions of the statement which would tend to reveal the identity of the informant, will not be disclosed in any manner to anyone other than Federal officials without the prior consent of the informant. Disclosure of such statements is also governed by the provisions of the “Freedom of Information Act” (5 U.S.C. 552,see.S.C. 552a, see part 71 of this subtitle).