• Arbitrators on our Roster must abide by the FMCS Arbitration Policies and Procedures (available in the side navigation panel to the left) as well as the Code of Professional Responsibility for Arbitrators of Labor-Management Disputes (also available in the side panel). Violations may lead to suspension or removal from the Roster.
  • Please remember that arbitrators are required to notify FMCS if circumstances may require a delay in you contacting the parties, scheduling a hearing, or issuing your award. Make sure that you have someone who will notify FMCS when you are unable to, in the event an emergency or incapacity will cause delay or inability to process cases.
  • If you are an arbitrator and wish to pay your annual FMCS roster fee, you can do so at arbitration.fmcs.gov
  • NOTE: We no longer accept checks for your annual FMCS roster fee. You can pay via credit card or banking account in your FMCS online account.
  • Please submit the required Form R-19 (Arbitrator’s report and fee statement) through your account at: arbitration.fmcs.gov. If you have not been paid by a party within 60 days of submitting your invoice, and you have reminded the party to no avail, we will do our best to assist. Please provide a copy of the invoice and any correspondence relating to it to Shakima Wright at swright@fmcs.gov.

Note: Federal Sector Cases and the System for Award Management (SAM)

Members of the FMCS Roster arbitrate cases for a number of federal agencies, which generally require enrollment in the System for Award Management (SAM) (formerly Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database). Arbitrators will not receive payment from a federal agency in most cases if they are not enrolled in SAM.

Arbitrators may complete SAM registration online at http://www.sam.gov.  There is no cost to register at this website.  Once you have obtained a D-U-N-S number and completed the SAM registration process, please forward the information immediately to the federal agency office responsible for payment to reduce delays or problems with payment for services.  Arbitrators must renew their registration periodically.

Also, note that you should verify with the parties in advance that your potential fees for the arbitration have already been budgeted through the procurement/contracting office of the agency involved. Otherwise, this could lead to substantial delay and even failure of payment. In some cases, the management advocate will not be aware of the need to notify the procurement office in advance.