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03/19/2026
Prevailing Wage FAQs: Real Questions Contractors Ask
Public construction projects come with detailed regulations, layered funding requirements, and plenty of documentation expectations. Even when prevailing wage rules seem clear on paper, applying them to real projects can get complicated—and that’s often where the need for clarification begins. We see this firsthand through our Ask the Expert column, where contractors, subcontractors, and agencies […]
Read More...03/19/2026
Changes at the United States Department of Energy: A Sign of the Times…
Recent changes at the United States Department of Energy (DOE) are reflective of the times. Renaming of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) The U.S. Department of Energy’s 17 National Laboratories spread across the Country constitute the federal government’s premier science, technology, and engineering system. Their role is to advance research, develop next-generation energy and […]
Read More...02/19/2026
The Importance of Worker Classification in Labor Compliance
Prevailing wage compliance is commonly understood in terms of certified payroll reporting, verification of wage rates, and fringe benefit tracking. But beneath all of these processes is a critical element: worker classification. If the classification matches the work, then payroll reporting, workforce data, and compliance reporting will normally stay the same. If not, inconsistencies can […]
Read More...01/22/2026
Understanding the DBE Program Overhaul: Ending Presumptive Eligibility
By now you may have heard that the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has enacted a major change to its Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program that affects approximately 41,000 minority- and women-owned businesses in the transportation industry. On October 3, 2025, an Interim Final Rule (IFR) took effect, eliminating the long-standing practice of presuming certain […]
Read More...01/22/2026
Labor Law Investigations: Staying Prepared in 2026
Prevailing wage and labor standards investigations are a normal part of doing business on publicly funded construction projects. Even teams with strong compliance programs can find themselves responding to an inquiry triggered by something as simple as a payroll inconsistency, a worker complaint, or a routine audit. The good news: investigations follow recognizable patterns. When […]
Read More...11/20/2025
Build America, Buy America Act (BABA): Strengthening Domestic Supply Chains Through Federal Investment
The U.S. Government wants to align its massive purchasing power of over $2 trillion per year with national priorities to strengthen domestic manufacturing and supply chains, support high-quality U.S. jobs, and reduce reliance on foreign suppliers for critical materials. The Build America, Buy America Act (BABA) is an important tool reshaping how federal funds are […]
Read More...11/20/2025
Labor Standards Enforcement: What Contractors Should Know Today
Across the country, agencies at the federal, state, and local levels are placing renewed emphasis on labor standards enforcement. For contractors working on public works and infrastructure projects, this means heightened scrutiny around certified payroll accuracy, worker classifications, and prevailing wage requirements. While the core regulations haven’t changed overnight, the intensity and frequency of enforcement […]
Read More...09/17/2025
FAQ: The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), and Prevailing Wage & Apprenticeship Compliance
What is the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)? The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed into law on August 16, 2022, represents a major federal initiative aimed at addressing climate change. It allocates substantial funding toward clean energy incentives, opening pathways for companies, workers, and communities to engage in the transition to a more sustainable energy economy. […]
Read More...09/17/2025
What Contractors Need to Know about Prevailing Wage Investigations
You might love watching crime dramas where investigators solve mysteries with flair. But if you’re a contractor on a publicly-funded construction project, the idea of an investigation is far less glamorous. In fact, it’s the kind of “excitement” nobody wants. Even if you follow every rule to the letter, audits and investigations can happen. The […]
Read More...08/14/2025
The Real Cost of Worker Misclassification
What’s In a Job Title? In the world of construction compliance, it turns out… quite a lot. Especially when a job title doesn’t reflect the actual work being done on a public works site. And that’s where the topic of worker misclassification enters the picture, which is one of the most common, costly, and surprisingly […]
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