When Baltimore’s Key Bridge collapsed in March of this year following a head-on collision with the container ship Dali, the world was stunned. In the modern era of engineering, how could such a catastrophic event occur? While the factors involved in the collision were extraordinary, the question remains: How many other bridges across our country […]
Author Archives: Tanner Sabako
What you need to know about prevailing wage & apprenticeship under the IRA
By Guest Author: Laura Caltaldo, Director at Baker Tilly ___________________________________________ The irony with tax credits is that everyone wants them, but seemingly few actually want to spend the time and energy needed to fully understand the intricacies involved with obtaining them. We have observed this exact situation as it relates to the Prevailing Wage and […]
Ask the Expert: April 2024
Question Under the new Davis-Bacon rules that went into effect last October, how are prevailing wage calculations changing? Answer: One significant change is that the U.S. Department of Labor has decided to reintroduce the three-step process for determining wage rates. As part of this three-step method, if a majority of workers under the same classification […]
Before and After HUD’s Final Rule on Section 3
Got a housing project? No, we’re not talking about that dripping faucet in your downstairs bathroom or your kitchen cabinets that are in desperate need of a facelift. We’re talking about the other kind of housing project. You know, the kind that comes with a bunch of strings attached (and maybe a groan or two […]
A Walkthrough for Completing the WH-347 Certified Payroll Report
Every contractor remembers their first prevailing wage project. Ok – maybe not every contractor. But anyone who’s ever filled out a certified payroll report probably remembers how it felt at the beginning… Because learning an entirely new set of laws and regulations (and figuring out how to navigate all the paperwork that comes with it) […]
A Case Study: Do Project Labor Agreements Affect Project Costs and Contractor Bidding Behavior?
Project. Labor. Agreements. Three simple words that might elicit a different reaction depending on the kind of a stakeholder you are in the public works construction industry. It’s understandable; Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) can be a divisive topic. For some of us, the additional rules and regulations may feel as if you’re trekking through a […]
What Wage Theft Looks Like in Public Works Construction
What is wage theft in the context of public works construction? It sounds bad, right? Like many would assume, wage theft occurs when money is “stolen” from an employee by means of paying them a wage rate less than what they are legally entitled to – whether intentional or not. And while this happens in […]
The Roads Leading to Investigations and How to Navigate Them
Raise your hand if you enjoy being audited. Someone?… Anyone?… Bueller?… While they might seem intrusive, audits are a necessary evil when it comes to prevailing wage compliance – and they aren’t going anywhere. Although there’s often nothing egregious to uncover, there will inevitably come a time when an auditor discovers something that requires a […]
The Fundamentals of Wages & Fringes on Public Works Projects
Let’s talk about the fundamental building blocks of Davis-Bacon: wages and fringes. First of all, what does the “prevailing” in prevailing wage even mean? And how are the rates determined? For many, the word “prevailing” here might seem synonymous with “minimum”. As in minimum wage. And although it’s not way off the mark – because […]
More Real-Life Consequences of Wage Violations – Part 2
In a previous blog post, we discussed a few of the larger cases of wage and hour compliance violations that resulted in criminal prosecution last year in 2021. The fact of the matter is, that post was only covering cases in the state of Pennsylvania alone… This time, we’re going to take a look […]