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About the Expert:
Aliecia Taormina, CCEP, MCA
Aliecia Taormina has over 20 years of experience in the construction industry. Her previous roles include Payroll Manager, Business Manager, Compliance Officer, and Senior Compliance Manager for the corporate office of a Fortune 300 Prime Contractor. Aliecia is currently the Director of Client Education and Compliance for LCPtracker. Aliecia has extensive expertise in the various nuances of prevailing wage and Davis-Bacon compliance. She holds a Certified Compliance & Ethics Professional certification with the SCCE and a Master Compliance Administrator certification from the ACCA.
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03/19/2026
Ask the Expert: March 2026
Question We are a small, non‑union utility locating company with one full‑time employee (the owner) and one part‑time employee. We do not meet the 1:5 journeyman‑to‑apprentice ratio and rarely work more than 40 total hours on a project. Are we still required to submit a DAS 142, and how do the ratio and total hours […]
Read More...02/19/2026
Ask the Expert: February 2026
Question Hello! We work in California, and to my understanding, when performing work on a Davis-Bacon project, we’re required to pay the higher applicable wage—often the California prevailing wage rates. Recently, a client told me their project is a “private Davis-Bacon” project and that California DIR wage rates do not apply, meaning we should pay […]
Read More...01/22/2026
Ask The Expert: January 2026
. Please Note: For January’s installment of ‘Ask the Expert’, we’re taking a moment to address a few of the most common software-related questions we’ve been asked. . Question Hi Aliecia, I’ve always wondered why LCPtracker Pro doesn’t automatically calculate certain fields on certified payroll reports…. For example, after I enter the wage rates and […]
Read More...12/17/2025
Ask The Expert: December 2025
. Please Note: For December’s installment of ‘Ask the Expert’, we’re taking a moment to revisit and highlight some of the questions and answers that seemed to resonate the most with our audience over the last year. The highlighted topics below were first published in previous months of 2025. . Question What are the consequences […]
Read More...11/20/2025
Ask the Expert: November 2025
Question When a manufacturer’s representative comes out to perform equipment startup, are they exempt from prevailing wages? Several of these companies are saying they don’t have a prevailing wage coordinator and have never paid prevailing wage before. Answer: I appreciate this question—it’s a great one. And, true to prevailing wage principles, the answer is: it […]
Read More...10/23/2025
Ask The Expert: October 2025
Question When a wage determination is added to a modification on a federal contract, do the updated wages apply to just the modified work or the entire contract (remaining work) going forward? Answer: In my experience, if a change order is issued on a project with a new wage determination, then that covers all work going forward, unless the contract language specifies that it […]
Read More...09/17/2025
Ask The Expert: September 2025
Question Hi Aliecia, We have added a new scope of work and I am not sure how we identify the trade classification for prevailing wage compliance. I have contacted the Research OD team at the DIR, but was told it would be on a case by case basis and determined by the Awarding Body on […]
Read More...08/14/2025
Ask The Expert: August 2025
Question If it’s necessary to return onsite for warranty work after a job has been closed, is certified payroll reporting still required? If so, can it be submitted as a #1? And what if the work isn’t being billed because it’s a warranty issue? Answer: Yes, certified payroll must still be reported for warranty work […]
Read More...07/23/2025
Ask The Expert: July 2025
Question Following up on your response regarding truck drivers: any material delivery driver will be involved in some form of unloading—whether it’s unstrapping, offloading, dumping, or dispensing concrete from the cab. How can we dictate to a company or delivery provider what they must pay their staff when they come onto our site, especially in […]
Read More...06/12/2025
Ask The Expert: June 2025
Question Are Davis Bacon rates only for when work is done on the actual project site? We do most of our work in our warehouse offsite. Answer: Great question! And one that has been under review lately. Under the Davis-Bacon Act (DBA), prevailing wage requirements generally apply to laborers and mechanics working “directly upon the site of the work.” This includes the physical location where […]
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