Published date: 10/28/2021

In our previous blog post, we covered one of the fundamentals of apprenticeship compliance for public works projects in California – namely, how to fill out the DAS 140 form and where to send it to remain compliant. A natural segue from that discussion would be the next step in the process: requesting that apprentices be dispatched to your project from one or more apprenticeship committees. This is where the DAS 142 form comes in… 

Overview of the DAS 142 Form 

Whereas the DAS 140 form is used to notify apprenticeship committees that your project will be using apprentices for a given craft, the DAS 142 serves as a formal request from the contractor for the dispatch of apprentices to their project from approved apprenticeship programs. 

In the state of California, there is minimum 1:5 ratio that contractors must meet of apprentice hours worked to journeymen hours worked on a project. If you’re not meeting your minimum ratio of 1:5, you must submit a request for apprentices. It is widely considered best practice to use the DAS 142 as a request for dispatch of apprentices, since it has all the information you need to provide for a request. 

When should I submit a DAS 142? 

The DAS 142 must be submitted at least 72 hours (three business days) before apprentices are needed. This notice requirement is held to the very hour. Generally, best practice dictates that the form be submitted a week before apprentices are needed. 

What information needs to be filled out on the request for dispatch form? 

Apprenticeship Committee Contact Information: The contractor must submit the name, address, phone number, and fax number of the apprenticeship committee to which the request is being sent. 

Contractor Information: You must include your company name, address, license number, Public Works Contractor (PWC) registration number, telephone number, and fax number. 

Project Information: Here you should include the PWC project number, contract number, the total contract amount (and subcontract amount if applicable), the name of the project, and the address at which work for the project is being performed. 

Dispatch Request Information: Specify how many apprentices are needed, what craft or trade they are needed for, the dates they will be reporting to the site, the time at which they should report, and the name and address of the person they will report to. 

NOTE: Make sure to include the correct date on the form! 

Where do I send the DAS 142 form? 

If you are signatory to an approved program (that is, if you have already been approved to train apprentices), you should send the request to your local apprenticeship committee. If you are not signatory to an approved program and are not approved to train apprentices, you must send the form to all of the apprenticeship committees in the county where work is to be performed for each craft or trade that apprentices are needed.  

What could cause the DAS 142 form to be invalid? 

Just like the DAS 140, the DAS 142 could be considered invalid if the contractor neglects to fill out any aspect of the form. It must also include correct dates, the specific number of apprentices (you may not put 0 or TBD; you must specify a number), and the correct contact information. 

It could also be considered invalid if the DAS 142 request is not submitted by the deadline, which, again, is three business days before the period where apprentices are needed. It’s not uncommon for contractors to submit the request a few hours too late, so it’s imperative that the form is submitted before the deadline. 

Is there a penalty associated with not complying with regulations? 

Yes, much like failing to submit the DAS 140, there are penalties for failing to request dispatch of apprentices when they are needed to meet the 1:5 ratio. If the form is sent late, incorrectly filled out, or not submitted entirely, a fine of $100 per day can be assessed.  

If you’d like to learn more about apprenticeship requirements and other prevailing wage compliance related topics, check out LCPtracker Academy. 

These materials are being issued with the understanding that LCPtracker is not engaged in rendering legal or other professional services, and is providing these for informational purposes only. If legal, accounting or tax expert assistance is required, the services of a competent legal, accounting or tax professional should be sought.