Civil Rights

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) sets workforce participation goals for each county in the state to apply to state funded and general obligation funded construction projects over $100,000.

These workforce participation goals - expressed as a percentage of total labor hours performed by women and people of color - seek to reduce barriers to workforce entry, respond to demographic changes, and prepare for Minnesota's emerging workforce shortage.

MDHR and MnDOT have executed a Joint Powers Agreement (PDF) to ensure contractor compliance with these and other state and federal Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) requirements.

For more information, see Minn. Stat. 363A and Minn. R. 5000.3520.

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has the authority and responsibility to establish and monitor EEO workforce goals at the federal level. Each county in the state has goals that apply to construction projects over $10,000.

For more information, see 23 C.F.R. § 230, 41 C.F.R. § 60-4.2, and Form FHWA 1273 Required Contract Provisions Federal-Aid Construction Contracts.

Notice to contractors with federally funded contracts

For all lettings on or after Oct. 23, 2023, contractors must physically incorporate the revised October 2023 FHWA Form-1273 in all federal-aid subcontracts and lower-tier subcontracts.

• The requirement to use the revised October 2023 Form FHWA-1273 does not apply to pre-existing contracts.
• The revised FHWA-1273 is available on the Federal Highway Administration website.