Government Contracts System Act

Government Contracts System Act

Preamble

Whereas there is a need for a structured and transparent system for short-term employment and project-based work within SimDemocracy;
Whereas smaller jobs and self-contained projects should provide earning opportunities for citizens otherwise unable to work in traditional government roles;
Whereas fair labor distribution and economic opportunity contribute to economic stability and public satisfaction;
Whereas a centralized body should oversee the fair allocation of government job contracts;

Article 1: Titles

§1. This act shall be known as the “Government Contracts System Act.”

Article 2: Definitions

§1. Government Contract: A short-term employment opportunity or project-based work approved by the Director and listed in the system.

§2. Government Contracts System ("the system"): The platform, specifically the "government contracts" channel in Discord, where government job opportunities are posted.

§3. Project: A contract requiring a deliverable or final product upon completion.

§4. Job: A contract requiring time-based work rather than a specific deliverable.

§5. Director of Government Contracts ("Director"): The official responsible for managing the government contracts system.

§6. Merit-Based Selection: The process by which applicants for contracts are evaluated based on relevant skills, experience, availability, time constraints, and prior performance.

§7. Petition for Contract Issuance: A formal request requiring at least five (5) signatures from citizens to mandate the issuance of a contract.

§8. Contract Completion: The fulfillment of the contract's terms, either by completing a job’s time commitment or submitting a project for approval.

§9. Manipulation of the Contract System: Any action intended to unfairly influence contract allocation, including bribery, fraud, or favoritism.

Article 3: Establishment of Government Contract Channel

§1. A channel called “government contracts”, onwards referred to as the system, shall be created under the economy tab in Discord.

§2. The channel shall be organized similarly to the news channel with posts.

Article 4: Director of Government Contracts

§1. The Director of Government Contracts ("Director") shall manage the government contracts channel.

§1.1. The Director is considered an employee of the Department of the Economy.

§1.2. The Director shall be appointed by the Head Of The Department of Economy.

§1.3. The Director can be dismissed and replaced by the Head Of The Department of Economy for any reason.

§1.4. In the event of dismissal or absence, the Department of the Economy can appoint a temporary Director to handle the Government Contracting System until a new Director is confirmed by the Senate or the Director returns.

§2. The Director has the authority to deny or rescind contract requests for any justifiable reason including but not limited to budget restrictions, request errors, or its an unnecessary request.

Article 5: Contracts

§1. Any government employee, government official, elected official, member of the court, and executive can request a contract to be issued.

§2. Any member of the public can petition to force the government to issue a contract. In this case, the petition must receive five (5) signatures.

§3. To be a legal request, requests must include the following required details:

§3.1. Category in either Project or Job,

§3.2. Description of work or expected final result,

§3.3. Any requirements, particularly time requirements if a job,

§3.4. Due date for the project or when the job ends.

§4. The pay provided by the contract can be suggested by the requestor. However, the Director has final say on pay offered.

§5. Job request changes can be made if approved by the Director.

§6. Job requests can be rescinded by the requesters if the Director is informed and approves.

Article 6: Completion and Payment

§1. Completion is considered when the job ends or the final project is submitted.

§2. Upon contract completion for a job, the government has seven (7) days to issue payment.

§3. Upon contract completion for a project, the government has ten (10) days to review the submitted work, decide if the project is completed, and provide payment. If the project is deemed incomplete, the government must provide a written explanation of the issues before refusing or decreasing payment. If pay is refused or decreased due to project incompletion, the contractor can file a lawsuit.

Article 7: Fairness

§1. No individual shall hold more active contracts at a time than reasonably completable.

§2. The Director shall distribute contracts on a merit-based basis.

Article 8: Contract Application

§1. Any SimDem citizen can apply to undertake a project but must be able to prove they meet any requirements set out by the contract.

§2. Applications to undertake a project must be submitted in the contract’s comment section in the government contract channel.

§3. After the first application, the contract shall be assigned to the most meritorious applicant after at least twelve (12) hours of the first application.

§4. The Director shall @ the individual assigned the contract to inform them they won the bid. If they refuse, then it shall go to the next applicant that agrees to undertake the project.

Article 9: Enforcement and Penalties

§1. Manipulation of the contract system, including but not limited to bribery or fraud, shall result in, in addition to normal consequences: a ban from the system for up to six (6) months and a fine equal to double the value of contracts affected.

§2. If a Director is convicted of crimes involving abuse of the system, including but not limited to accepting bribes, they can, in addition to normal consequences, be banned from being Director for up to one (1) year.

Article 10: Implementation

§1. This Act shall take effect five (5) days after passage.

§2. Future amendments shall require Senate approval.