Explaining prevailing wages for federally funded jobs

Compiled by Juli Case

I’m working on a government job and I’m told I have to include the “prevailing wage” on the bid. What’s that?

The Davis-Bacon Act requires that federally funded construction jobs pay workers the prevailing wage, which are determined by the U.S. Department of Labor. To check what the prevailing wages are, you can inquire with your state’s Department of Labor and Statistics, or you can visit Wage Determinations Online. Another resource is the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) Department of Documents.

Juli Case is IFAI’s information and technical services manager.