Public MEP work usually carries prevailing wage and certified payroll requirements, and a subcontractor that does not read the wage determination underprices the labor and the administrative burden.
What prevailing wage sets
Federally funded MEP work carries Davis Bacon prevailing wage, and state and local public work carries state prevailing wage, each with a wage determination by trade and a certified payroll reporting requirement. The wage determination sets the labor rate and fringe the sub must pay, and certified payroll adds weekly reporting.
Why the wage burden is easy to miss
Whether prevailing wage applies, which determination governs, and the certified payroll requirement sit in the solicitation and the funding source, not the title. A sub that misses it underprices both the wage and fringe and the payroll administration.
How an AI bid agent flags prevailing wage
An AI bid agent reads each MEP solicitation, flags whether Davis Bacon or state prevailing wage applies, and surfaces the wage determination and the certified payroll burden. The sub prices the actual labor cost.
You can see how the agent reads a solicitation in our AI bid agent demo for MEP subcontractors. It flags the prevailing wage determination and certified payroll burden so the labor cost is priced.