Across the United States, federal, state, and local agencies are taking a closer look at how contractors handle payroll, worker classification, and prevailing wage compliance. What used to slip through the cracks is now far more likely to be flagged, investigated, and penalized. At the same time, increased infrastructure spending and new legislation have created […]

Current State of U.S. Infrastructure Spending 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 and develop technologies that support national priorities. The U.S. Government has witnessed significant increases in federal infrastructure spending over the past […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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. […]