Bureau of International Labor Affairs

The Department of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs, a sub-agency within the Cabinet-level Department of Labor, administers federal contracting and grant-making to advance workers' rights, labor standards, and workforce development initiatives in the international sphere. The Bureau operates across both contract and grant channels to fund technical assistance, research, capacity building, and direct support to international labor organizations and development partners.

The Bureau has awarded 330 federal contracts since 1991, with a combined potential value of $114.4 million and combined dollars obligated of $152.5 million. Contract activity has declined substantially in recent years: the Bureau awarded 14 contracts in 2021, 19 in 2022, 9 in 2023, 7 in 2024, and 2 in 2025. The most recent recorded award date is September 30, 2025. Among the 155 distinct prime contractors in the portfolio, competitive concentration is fragmented by award count and moderately concentrated by potential value. Over the last five years, Devtech Systems Inc. leads by award count with 5 awards and $1.7 million in combined potential value, followed by Grafik Industries, LTD. and American Institutes For Research In The Behavioral Sciences, each with 3 awards. By potential value, ICF Macro Inc. dominates with 2 awards worth $29 million combined, Mitchell Group, Inc. follows with 1 award worth $7.9 million, and Property & Environmental Management Inc., Panorama Global, and Mathematica Inc. together hold the next tier. The majority of contract awards carry no set-aside designation—283 awards, or 86 percent—with small-business set-asides accounting for 8 percent, 8(a) sole-source awards for 2 percent, and woman-owned small business and other designations making up the remainder.

The Bureau has awarded 197 federal grants totaling $1.26 billion in federal dollars obligated since 2007, with combined total dollars (federal plus non-federal) of $1.28 billion. Grant activity has averaged 10 to 16 awards per year over the last five years, with 12 in 2021, 16 in 2022, 13 in 2023, 10 in 2024, and 8 in 2025. The most recent recorded grant award date is December 31, 2025. Recipient concentration is concentrated by award count and fragmented by federal dollars. The International Labor Organization dominates with 17 awards and $159.3 million in federal dollars obligated over the last five years, while the American Center For International Labor Solidarity follows with 10 awards and $126 million. Partners Of The Americas, Inc., Pact, Inc., and World Vision Inc. account for the next tier. The Bureau structures virtually all grants as Cooperative Agreements—192 of 197 awards, or 97 percent—with 5 Project Grants comprising the balance. Among the 64 distinct grant recipients in the portfolio, the top five recipients by award count hold 60 percent of recent awards, though the top five by federal dollars hold only 35 percent, reflecting significant federal-dollar concentration in a handful of large agreements alongside a longer tail of smaller recipients.

The Bureau of International Labor Affairs works to improve working conditions, raise living standards, protect workers ability to exercise their rights, and address the workplace exploitation of children and other vulnerable populations.