Boon Buzz: DBA Wage Determinations are Here
The former wdol.gov website is being phased out and has been replaced with the new beta.sam.gov. The new website will be the official U.S. government site for people who make, receive, and manage federal construction awards.
The website will effectively replace wdol.gov as well as other systems and will serve as the primary database for federal awards, as well as federal assistance. The contracting portion of the website will specifically address wage determination information for government contractors. With respect to federal assistance, the site will provide detailed public descriptions of any federal assistance listings available to State and local governments. As of date of publication, the website and its associated logins are now fully functional.
What is a Wage Determination?
According to the Department of Labor (DOL), a DBA wage determination is the listing of wage and fringe benefit rates for each classification of laborer, mechanic, and worker under the Davis-Bacon Act (DBA). The wage determination is an hourly wage amount and an hourly amount for fringe benefits found by the Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division of the DOL to be “prevailing” in a particular region for a particular type of construction work for government contractors under the Davis-Bacon Act.
There are two types of wage determinations applicable to the Davis-Bacon Act: general determinations and project determinations. A general wage determination reflects the determined prevailing rates in a specific geographic area for the type of construction described. A project wage determination is issued at the specific request of a contracting agency for the named project only.
Making the Most Out of Your Dollar
Government contractors have options when it comes to how to spend the fringe amount of the DBA wage determination. One option is to pay the fringe benefits in cash. The second option is to provide a compliant bona fide fringe benefit.
Providing benefits using those fringe dollars has proven to be an effective cost-saving solution for the competitive contractor. Employee benefits offered through the employer have been linked to higher workforce productivity, reduced absenteeism, and significantly reduced healthcare expenditure overall.
At Boon, we tailor our benefits to your unique needs. Click here to learn more about our solutions.You can also check out this blog post about what makes a competitive and cost-conscious contractor.
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