Title 29—Labor--Volume 1
PART 5—LABOR STANDARDS PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO CONTRACTS COVERING FEDERALLY FINANCED AND ASSISTED CONSTRUCTION (ALSO LABOR STANDARDS PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO NONCONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS SUBJECT TO THE CONTRACT WORK HOURS AND SAFETY STANDARDS ACT)
§ 5.1   Purpose and scope.
(a) The regulations contained in this part are promulgated under the authority conferred upon the Secretary of Labor by Reorganization Plan No. 14 of 1950 (64 Stat. 1267, as amended, 5 U.S.C. appendix) and the Copeland Act (48 Stat. 948; 18 U.S.C. 874; 40 U.S.C. 3145) in order to coordinate the administration and enforcement of labor standards provisions contained in the Davis-Bacon Act (46 Stat. 1494, as amended; 40 U.S.C. 3141 et seq. ) and its related statutes (“Related Acts”).
(1) A listing of laws requiring Davis-Bacon labor standards provisions can be found at www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/government-contracts or its successor website.
(2) [Reserved]
(b) Part 1 of this subtitle contains the Department's procedural rules governing requests for wage determinations and the issuance and use of such wage determinations under the Davis-Bacon Act and its Related Acts.
§ 5.2   Definitions.
Administrator. The term “Administrator” means the Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division, U.S. Department of Labor, or authorized representative.
Agency. The term “agency” means any Federal, State, or local government agency or instrumentality, or other similar entity, that enters into a contract or provides assistance through loan, grant, loan guarantee or insurance, or otherwise, to a project subject to the Davis-Bacon labor standards, as defined in this section.
(1) Federal agency. The term “Federal agency” means an agency or instrumentality of the United States or the District of Columbia, as defined in this section, that enters into a contract or provides assistance through loan, grant, loan guarantee or insurance, or otherwise, to a project subject to the Davis-Bacon labor standards.
(2) [Reserved]
Agency Head. The term “Agency Head” means the principal official of an agency and includes those persons duly authorized to act on behalf of the Agency Head.
Apprentice and helper. The terms “apprentice” and “helper” are defined as follows:
(1) “Apprentice” means:
(i) A person employed and individually registered in a bona fide apprenticeship program registered with the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Apprenticeship, or with a State Apprenticeship Agency recognized by the Office of Apprenticeship; or
(ii) A person in the first 90 days of probationary employment as an apprentice in such an apprenticeship program, who is not individually registered in the program, but who has been certified by the Office of Apprenticeship or a State Apprenticeship Agency (where appropriate) to be eligible for probationary employment as an apprentice;
(2) These provisions do not apply to apprentices and trainees employed on projects subject to 23 U.S.C. 113 who are enrolled in programs which have been certified by the Secretary of Transportation in accordance with 23 U.S.C. 113(c).
(3) A distinct classification of helper will be issued in wage determinations applicable to work performed on construction projects covered by the labor standards provisions of the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts only where:
(i) The duties of the helper are clearly defined and distinct from those of any other classification on the wage determination;
(ii) The use of such helpers is an established prevailing practice in the area; and
(iii) The helper is not employed as a trainee in an informal training program. A “helper” classification will be added to wage determinations pursuant to § 5.5(a)(1)(iii)(A) only where, in addition, the work to be performed by the helper is not performed by a classification in the wage determination.
Building or work. The term “building or work” generally includes construction activities of all types, as distinguished from manufacturing, furnishing of materials, or servicing and maintenance work. The term includes, without limitation, buildings, structures, and improvements of all types, such as bridges, dams, solar panels, wind turbines, broadband installation, installation of electric car chargers, plants, highways, parkways, streets, subways, tunnels, sewers, mains, power lines, pumping stations, heavy generators, railways, airports, terminals, docks, piers, wharves, ways, lighthouses, buoys, jetties, breakwaters, levees, canals, dredging, shoring, rehabilitation and reactivation of plants, scaffolding, drilling, blasting, excavating, clearing, and landscaping. The term “building or work” also includes a portion of a building or work, or the installation (where appropriate) of equipment or components into a building or work.
Construction, prosecution, completion, or repair. The term “construction, prosecution, completion, or repair ” means the following:
(1) These terms include all types of work done—
(i) On a particular building or work at the site of the work, as defined in this section, by laborers and mechanics employed by a contractor or subcontractor, or
(ii) In the construction or development of a project under a development statute.
(2) These terms include, without limitation (except as specified in this definition):
(i) Altering, remodeling, installation (where appropriate) on the site of the work of items fabricated offsite;
(ii) Painting and decorating;
(iii) Manufacturing or furnishing of materials, articles, supplies or equipment, but only if such work is done by laborers or mechanics
(A) Employed by a contractor or subcontractor, as defined in this section, on the site of the work, as defined in this section, or
(B) In the construction or development of a project under a development statute;
(iv) “Covered transportation,” defined as any of the following activities:
(A) Transportation that takes place entirely within a location meeting the definition of “site of the work” in this section;
(B) Transportation of one or more “significant portion(s)” of the building or work between a “secondary construction site” as defined in this section and a “primary construction site” as defined in this section;
(C) Transportation between an “adjacent or virtually adjacent dedicated support site” as defined in this section and a “primary construction site” or “secondary construction site” as defined in this section;
(D) “Onsite activities essential or incidental to offsite transportation,” defined as activities conducted by a truck driver or truck driver's assistant on the site of the work that are essential or incidental to the transportation of materials or supplies to or from the site of the work, such as loading, unloading, or waiting for materials to be loaded or unloaded, but only where the driver or driver's assistant's time spent on the site of the work is not de minimis; and
(E) Any transportation and related activities, whether on or off the site of the work, by laborers and mechanics employed in the construction or development of the project under a development statute.
(v) Demolition and/or removal, under any of the following circumstances:
(A) Where the demolition and/or removal activities themselves constitute construction, alteration, and/or repair of an existing building or work. Examples of such activities include the removal of asbestos, paint, components, systems, or parts from a facility that will not be demolished; as well as contracts for hazardous waste removal, land recycling, or reclamation that involve substantial earth moving, removal of contaminated soil, re-contouring surfaces, and/or habitat restoration.
(B) Where subsequent construction covered in whole or in part by the labor standards in this part is contemplated at the site of the demolition or removal, either as part of the same contract or as part of a future contract. In determining whether covered construction is contemplated within the meaning of this provision, relevant factors include, but are not limited to, the existence of engineering or architectural plans or surveys of the site; the allocation of, or an application for, Federal funds; contract negotiations or bid solicitations; the stated intent of the relevant government officials; and the disposition of the site after demolition.
(C) Where otherwise required by statute.
(3) Except for transportation that constitutes “covered transportation” as defined in this section, construction, prosecution, completion, or repair does not include the transportation of materials or supplies to or from the site of the work.
Contract. The term “contract” means any prime contract which is subject wholly or in part to the labor standards provisions of any of the laws referenced by § 5.1 and any subcontract of any tier thereunder, let under the prime contract. With the exception of work performed under a development statute, the terms contract and subcontract do not include agreements with employers that meet the definition of a material supplier under this section.
Contracting officer. The term “contracting officer” means the individual, a duly appointed successor, or authorized representative who is designated and authorized to enter into contracts on behalf of an agency, sponsor, owner, applicant, or other similar entity.
Contractor. The term “contractor” means any individual or other legal entity that enters into or is awarded a contract that is subject wholly or in part to the labor standards provisions of any of the laws referenced by § 5.1, including any prime contract or subcontract of any tier under a covered prime contract. In addition, the term contractor includes any surety that is completing performance for a defaulted contractor pursuant to a performance bond. The U.S. Government, its agencies, and instrumentalities are not contractors, subcontractors, employers or joint employers for purposes of the labor standards provisions of any of the laws referenced by § 5.1. A State or local government is not regarded as a contractor or subcontractor under statutes providing loans, grants, or other Federal assistance in situations where construction is performed by its own employees. However, under development statutes or other statutes requiring payment of prevailing wages to all laborers and mechanics employed on the assisted project, such as the U.S. Housing Act of 1937, State and local recipients of Federal-aid must pay these workers according to Davis-Bacon labor standards. The term “contractor” does not include an entity that is a material supplier, except if the entity is performing work under a development statute.
Davis-Bacon labor standards. The term “Davis-Bacon labor standards” as used in this part means the requirements of the Davis-Bacon Act, the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (other than those relating to safety and health), the Copeland Act, and the prevailing wage provisions of the other statutes referenced in § 5.1, and the regulations in this part and in parts 1 and 3 of this subtitle.
Development statute. The term “development statute” includes the United States Housing Act of 1937; the Housing Act of 1949; and the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996, and any other Davis-Bacon Related Act that requires payment of prevailing wages under the Davis-Bacon labor standards to all laborers and mechanics employed in the development of a project and for which the Administrator determines that the statute's language and/or legislative history reflected clear congressional intent to apply a coverage standard different from the Davis-Bacon Act itself.
Employed. Every person performing the duties of a laborer or mechanic in the construction, prosecution, completion, or repair of a public building or public work, or building or work financed in whole or in part by assistance from the United States through loan, grant, loan guarantee or insurance, or otherwise, is “employed” regardless of any contractual relationship alleged to exist between the contractor and such person.
Laborer or mechanic. The term “laborer or mechanic” includes at least those workers whose duties are manual or physical in nature (including those workers who use tools or who are performing the work of a trade), as distinguished from mental or managerial. The term “laborer” or “mechanic” includes apprentices, helpers, and, in the case of contracts subject to the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act, watchpersons or guards. The term does not apply to workers whose duties are primarily administrative, executive, or clerical, rather than manual. Persons employed in a bona fide executive, administrative, or professional capacity as defined in 29 CFR part 541 are not deemed to be laborers or mechanics. Forepersons who devote more than 20 percent of their time during a workweek to mechanic or laborer duties, and who do not meet the criteria of part 541, are laborers and mechanics for the time so spent.
Material supplier. The term “material supplier” is defined as follows:
(1) A material supplier is an entity meeting all of the following criteria:
(i) Its only obligations for work on the contract or project are the delivery of materials, articles, supplies, or equipment, which may include pickup of the same in addition to, but not exclusive of, delivery, and which may also include activities incidental to such delivery and pickup, such as loading, unloading, or waiting for materials to be loaded or unloaded; and
(ii) Its facility or facilities that manufactures the materials, articles, supplies, or equipment used for the contract or project:
(A) Is not located on, or does not itself constitute, the project or contract's primary construction site or secondary construction site as defined in this section; and
(B) Either was established before opening of bids on the contract or project, or is not dedicated exclusively, or nearly so, to the performance of the contract or project.
(2) If an entity, in addition to being engaged in the activities specified in paragraph (1)(i) of this definition, also engages in other construction, prosecution, completion, or repair work at the site of the work, it is not a material supplier.
Prime contractor. The term “prime contractor” means any person or entity that enters into a contract with an agency. For the purposes of the labor standards provisions of any of the laws referenced by § 5.1, the term prime contractor also includes the controlling shareholders or members of any entity holding a prime contract, the joint venturers or partners in any joint venture or partnership holding a prime contract, and any contractor ( e.g., a general contractor) that has been delegated the responsibility for overseeing all or substantially all of the construction anticipated by the prime contract. For the purposes of the provisions in §§ 5.5 and 5.9, any such related entities holding different prime contracts are considered to be the same prime contractor.
Public building or public work. The term “public building or public work” includes a building or work, the construction, prosecution, completion, or repair of which, as defined in this section, is carried on directly by authority of or with funds of a Federal agency to serve the interest of the general public regardless of whether title thereof is in a Federal agency. The construction, prosecution, completion, or repair of a portion of a building or work, or the installation (where appropriate) of equipment or components into a building or work, may still be considered a public building or work, even where the entire building or work is not owned, leased by, or to be used by a Federal agency, as long as the construction, prosecution, completion, or repair of that portion of the building or work, or the installation (where appropriate) of equipment or components into that building or work, is carried on by authority of or with funds of a Federal agency to serve the interest of the general public.
Secretary. The term “Secretary” includes the Secretary of Labor, and their authorized representative.
Site of the work. The term “site of the work” is defined as follows:
(1) “Site of the work” includes all of the following:
(i) The primary construction site(s), defined as the physical place or places where the building or work called for in the contract will remain.
(ii) Any secondary construction site(s), defined as any other site(s) where a significant portion of the building or work is constructed, provided that such construction is for specific use in that building or work and does not simply reflect the manufacture or construction of a product made available to the general public, and provided further that the site is either established specifically for the performance of the contract or project, or is dedicated exclusively, or nearly so, to the performance of the contract or project for a specific period of time. A “significant portion” of a building or work means one or more entire portion(s) or module(s) of the building or work, such as a completed room or structure, with minimal construction work remaining other than the installation and/or final assembly of the portions or modules at the place where the building or work will remain. A “significant portion” does not include materials or prefabricated component parts such as prefabricated housing components. A “specific period of time” means a period of weeks, months, or more, and does not include circumstances where a site at which multiple projects are in progress is shifted exclusively or nearly so to a single project for a few hours or days in order to meet a deadline.
(iii) Any adjacent or virtually adjacent dedicated support sites, defined as:
(A) Job headquarters, tool yards, batch plants, borrow pits, and similar facilities of a contractor or subcontractor that are dedicated exclusively, or nearly so, to performance of the contract or project, and adjacent or virtually adjacent to either a primary construction site or a secondary construction site, and
(B) Locations adjacent or virtually adjacent to a primary construction site at which workers perform activities associated with directing vehicular or pedestrian traffic around or away from the primary construction site.
(2) With the exception of locations that are on, or that themselves constitute, primary or secondary construction sites as defined in paragraphs (1)(i) and (ii) of this definition, site of the work does not include:
(i) Permanent home offices, branch plant establishments, fabrication plants, tool yards, etc., of a contractor or subcontractor whose location and continuance in operation are determined wholly without regard to a particular Federal or federally assisted contract or project; or
(ii) Fabrication plants, batch plants, borrow pits, job headquarters, tool yards, etc., of a material supplier, which are established by a material supplier for the project before opening of bids and not on the primary construction site or a secondary construction site, even where the operations for a period of time may be dedicated exclusively, or nearly so, to the performance of a contract.
Subcontractor. The term “subcontractor” means any contractor that agrees to perform or be responsible for the performance of any part of a contract that is subject wholly or in part to the labor standards provisions of any of the laws referenced in § 5.1. The term subcontractor includes subcontractors of any tier.
United States or the District of Columbia. The term “United States or the District of Columbia” means the United States, the District of Columbia, and all executive departments, independent establishments, administrative agencies, and instrumentalities of the United States and of the District of Columbia, including non-appropriated fund instrumentalities and any corporation for which all or substantially all of its stock is beneficially owned by the United States or by the foregoing departments, establishments, agencies, or instrumentalities.
Wages. The term “wages” means the basic hourly rate of pay; any contribution irrevocably made by a contractor or subcontractor to a trustee or to a third person pursuant to a bona fide fringe benefit fund, plan, or program; and the rate of costs to the contractor or subcontractor which may be reasonably anticipated in providing bona fide fringe benefits to laborers and mechanics pursuant to an enforceable commitment to carry out a financially responsible plan or program, which was communicated in writing to the laborers and mechanics affected. The fringe benefits enumerated in the Davis-Bacon Act include medical or hospital care, pensions on retirement or death, compensation for injuries or illness resulting from occupational activity, or insurance to provide any of the foregoing; unemployment benefits; life insurance, disability insurance, sickness insurance, or accident insurance; vacation or holiday pay; defraying costs of apprenticeship or other similar programs; or other bona fide fringe benefits. Fringe benefits do not include benefits required by other Federal, State, or local law.
Wage determination. The term “wage determination” includes the original decision and any subsequent decisions revising, modifying, superseding, correcting, or otherwise changing the provisions of the original decision. The application of the wage determination must be in accordance with the provisions of § 1.6 of this subtitle.
§§ 5.3-5.4   [Reserved]
§ 5.5   Contract provisions and related matters.
(a) Required contract clauses. The Agency head will cause or require the contracting officer to require the contracting officer to insert in full, or (for contracts covered by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (48 CFR chapter 1)) by reference, in any contract in excess of $2,000 which is entered into for the actual construction, alteration and/or repair, including painting and decorating, of a public building or public work, or building or work financed in whole or in part from Federal funds or in accordance with guarantees of a Federal agency or financed from funds obtained by pledge of any contract of a Federal agency to make a loan, grant or annual contribution (except where a different meaning is expressly indicated), and which is subject to the labor standards provisions of any of the laws referenced by § 5.1, the following clauses (or any modifications thereof to meet the particular needs of the agency, Provided, That such modifications are first approved by the Department of Labor):
(1) Minimum wages —(i) Wage rates and fringe benefits. All laborers and mechanics employed or working upon the site of the work (or otherwise working in construction or development of the project under a development statute), will be paid unconditionally and not less often than once a week, and without subsequent deduction or rebate on any account (except such payroll deductions as are permitted by regulations issued by the Secretary of Labor under the Copeland Act (29 CFR part 3)), the full amount of basic hourly wages and bona fide fringe benefits (or cash equivalents thereof) due at time of payment computed at rates not less than those contained in the wage determination of the Secretary of Labor which is attached hereto and made a part hereof, regardless of any contractual relationship which may be alleged to exist between the contractor and such laborers and mechanics. As provided in paragraphs (d) and (e) of this section, the appropriate wage determinations are effective by operation of law even if they have not been attached to the contract. Contributions made or costs reasonably anticipated for bona fide fringe benefits under the Davis-Bacon Act (40 U.S.C. 3141(2)(B)) on behalf of laborers or mechanics are considered wages paid to such laborers or mechanics, subject to the provisions of paragraph (a)(1)(v) of this section; also, regular contributions made or costs incurred for more than a weekly period (but not less often than quarterly) under plans, funds, or programs which cover the particular weekly period, are deemed to be constructively made or incurred during such weekly period. Such laborers and mechanics must be paid the appropriate wage rate and fringe benefits on the wage determination for the classification(s) of work actually performed, without regard to skill, except as provided in paragraph (a)(4) of this section. Laborers or mechanics performing work in more than one classification may be compensated at the rate specified for each classification for the time actually worked therein: Provided, That the employer's payroll records accurately set forth the time spent in each classification in which work is performed. The wage determination (including any additional classifications and wage rates conformed under paragraph (a)(1)(iii) of this section) and the Davis-Bacon poster (WH-1321) must be posted at all times by the contractor and its subcontractors at the site of the work in a prominent and accessible place where it can be easily seen by the workers.
(ii) Frequently recurring classifications. (A) In addition to wage and fringe benefit rates that have been determined to be prevailing under the procedures set forth in 29 CFR part 1, a wage determination may contain, pursuant to § 1.3(f), wage and fringe benefit rates for classifications of laborers and mechanics for which conformance requests are regularly submitted pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)(iii) of this section, provided that:
( 1 ) The work performed by the classification is not performed by a classification in the wage determination for which a prevailing wage rate has been determined;
( 2 ) The classification is used in the area by the construction industry; and
( 3 ) The wage rate for the classification bears a reasonable relationship to the prevailing wage rates contained in the wage determination.
(B) The Administrator will establish wage rates for such classifications in accordance with paragraph (a)(1)(iii)(A)( 3 ) of this section. Work performed in such a classification must be paid at no less than the wage and fringe benefit rate listed on the wage determination for such classification.
(iii) Conformance. (A) The contracting officer must require that any class of laborers or mechanics, including helpers, which is not listed in the wage determination and which is to be employed under the contract be classified in conformance with the wage determination. Conformance of an additional classification and wage rate and fringe benefits is appropriate only when the following criteria have been met:
( 1 ) The work to be performed by the classification requested is not performed by a classification in the wage determination; and
( 2 ) The classification is used in the area by the construction industry; and
( 3 ) The proposed wage rate, including any bona fide fringe benefits, bears a reasonable relationship to the wage rates contained in the wage determination.
(B) The conformance process may not be used to split, subdivide, or otherwise avoid application of classifications listed in the wage determination.
(C) If the contractor and the laborers and mechanics to be employed in the classification (if known), or their representatives, and the contracting officer agree on the classification and wage rate (including the amount designated for fringe benefits where appropriate), a report of the action taken will be sent by the contracting officer by email to DBAconformance@dol.gov . The Administrator, or an authorized representative, will approve, modify, or disapprove every additional classification action within 30 days of receipt and so advise the contracting officer or will notify the contracting officer within the 30-day period that additional time is necessary.
(D) In the event the contractor, the laborers or mechanics to be employed in the classification or their representatives, and the contracting officer do not agree on the proposed classification and wage rate (including the amount designated for fringe benefits, where appropriate), the contracting officer will, by email to DBAconformance@dol.gov , refer the questions, including the views of all interested parties and the recommendation of the contracting officer, to the Administrator for determination. The Administrator, or an authorized representative, will issue a determination within 30 days of receipt and so advise the contracting officer or will notify the contracting officer within the 30-day period that additional time is necessary.
(E) The contracting officer must promptly notify the contractor of the action taken by the Wage and Hour Division under paragraphs (a)(1)(iii)(C) and (D) of this section. The contractor must furnish a written copy of such determination to each affected worker or it must be posted as a part of the wage determination. The wage rate (including fringe benefits where appropriate) determined pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)(iii)(C) or (D) of this section must be paid to all workers performing work in the classification under this contract from the first day on which work is performed in the classification.
(iv) Fringe benefits not expressed as an hourly rate. Whenever the minimum wage rate prescribed in the contract for a class of laborers or mechanics includes a fringe benefit which is not expressed as an hourly rate, the contractor may either pay the benefit as stated in the wage determination or may pay another bona fide fringe benefit or an hourly cash equivalent thereof.
(v) Unfunded plans. If the contractor does not make payments to a trustee or other third person, the contractor may consider as part of the wages of any laborer or mechanic the amount of any costs reasonably anticipated in providing bona fide fringe benefits under a plan or program, Provided, That the Secretary of Labor has found, upon the written request of the contractor, in accordance with the criteria set forth in § 5.28, that the applicable standards of the Davis-Bacon Act have been met. The Secretary of Labor may require the contractor to set aside in a separate account assets for the meeting of obligations under the plan or program.
(vi) Interest. In the event of a failure to pay all or part of the wages required by the contract, the contractor will be required to pay interest on any underpayment of wages.
(2) Withholding —(i) Withholding requirements. The [write in name of Federal agency or the recipient of Federal assistance] may, upon its own action, or must, upon written request of an authorized representative of the Department of Labor, withhold or cause to be withheld from the contractor so much of the accrued payments or advances as may be considered necessary to satisfy the liabilities of the prime contractor or any subcontractor for the full amount of wages and monetary relief, including interest, required by the clauses set forth in paragraph (a) of this section for violations of this contract, or to satisfy any such liabilities required by any other Federal contract, or federally assisted contract subject to Davis-Bacon labor standards, that is held by the same prime contractor (as defined in § 5.2). The necessary funds may be withheld from the contractor under this contract, any other Federal contract with the same prime contractor, or any other federally assisted contract that is subject to Davis-Bacon labor standards requirements and is held by the same prime contractor, regardless of whether the other contract was awarded or assisted by the same agency, and such funds may be used to satisfy the contractor liability for which the funds were withheld. In the event of a contractor's failure to pay any laborer or mechanic, including any apprentice or helper working on the site of the work (or otherwise working in construction or development of the project under a development statute) all or part of the wages required by the contract, or upon the contractor's failure to submit the required records as discussed in paragraph (a)(3)(iv) of this section, the [Agency] may on its own initiative and after written notice to the contractor, sponsor, applicant, owner, or other entity, as the case may be, take such action as may be necessary to cause the suspension of any further payment, advance, or guarantee of funds until such violations have ceased.
(ii) Priority to withheld funds. The Department has priority to funds withheld or to be withheld in accordance with paragraph (a)(2)(i) or (b)(3)(i) of this section, or both, over claims to those funds by:
(A) A contractor's surety(ies), including without limitation performance bond sureties and payment bond sureties;
(B) A contracting agency for its reprocurement costs;
(C) A trustee(s) (either a court-appointed trustee or a U.S. trustee, or both) in bankruptcy of a contractor, or a contractor's bankruptcy estate;
(D) A contractor's assignee(s);
(E) A contractor's successor(s); or
(F) A claim asserted under the Prompt Payment Act, 31 U.S.C. 3901-3907.
(3) Records and certified payrolls —(i) Basic record requirements —(A) Length of record retention. All regular payrolls and other basic records must be maintained by the contractor and any subcontractor during the course of the work and preserved for all laborers and mechanics working at the site of the work (or otherwise working in construction or development of the project under a development statute) for a period of at least 3 years after all the work on the prime contract is completed.
(B) Information required. Such records must contain the name; Social Security number; last known address, telephone number, and email address of each such worker; each worker's correct classification(s) of work actually performed; hourly rates of wages paid (including rates of contributions or costs anticipated for bona fide fringe benefits or cash equivalents thereof of the types described in 40 U.S.C. 3141(2)(B) of the Davis-Bacon Act); daily and weekly number of hours actually worked in total and on each covered contract; deductions made; and actual wages paid.
(C) Additional records relating to fringe benefits. Whenever the Secretary of Labor has found under paragraph (a)(1)(v) of this section that the wages of any laborer or mechanic include the amount of any costs reasonably anticipated in providing benefits under a plan or program described in 40 U.S.C. 3141(2)(B) of the Davis-Bacon Act, the contractor must maintain records which show that the commitment to provide such benefits is enforceable, that the plan or program is financially responsible, and that the plan or program has been communicated in writing to the laborers or mechanics affected, and records which show the costs anticipated or the actual cost incurred in providing such benefits.
(D) Additional records relating to apprenticeship. Contractors with apprentices working under approved programs must maintain written evidence of the registration of apprenticeship programs, the registration of the apprentices, and the ratios and wage rates prescribed in the applicable programs.
(ii) Certified payroll requirements —(A) Frequency and method of submission. The contractor or subcontractor must submit weekly, for each week in which any DBA- or Related Acts-covered work is performed, certified payrolls to the [write in name of appropriate Federal agency] if the agency is a party to the contract, but if the agency is not such a party, the contractor will submit the certified payrolls to the applicant, sponsor, owner, or other entity, as the case may be, that maintains such records, for transmission to the [write in name of agency]. The prime contractor is responsible for the submission of all certified payrolls by all subcontractors. A contracting agency or prime contractor may permit or require contractors to submit certified payrolls through an electronic system, as long as the electronic system requires a legally valid electronic signature; the system allows the contractor, the contracting agency, and the Department of Labor to access the certified payrolls upon request for at least 3 years after the work on the prime contract has been completed; and the contracting agency or prime contractor permits other methods of submission in situations where the contractor is unable or limited in its ability to use or access the electronic system.
(B) Information required. The certified payrolls submitted must set out accurately and completely all of the information required to be maintained under paragraph (a)(3)(i)(B) of this section, except that full Social Security numbers and last known addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses must not be included on weekly transmittals. Instead, the certified payrolls need only include an individually identifying number for each worker ( e.g., the last four digits of the worker's Social Security number). The required weekly certified payroll information may be submitted using Optional Form WH-347 or in any other format desired. Optional Form WH-347 is available for this purpose from the Wage and Hour Division website at https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/WHD/legacy/files/wh347/.pdf or its successor website. It is not a violation of this section for a prime contractor to require a subcontractor to provide full Social Security numbers and last known addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses to the prime contractor for its own records, without weekly submission by the subcontractor to the sponsoring government agency (or the applicant, sponsor, owner, or other entity, as the case may be, that maintains such records).
(C) Statement of Compliance. Each certified payroll submitted must be accompanied by a “Statement of Compliance,” signed by the contractor or subcontractor, or the contractor's or subcontractor's agent who pays or supervises the payment of the persons working on the contract, and must certify the following:
( 1 ) That the certified payroll for the payroll period contains the information required to be provided under paragraph (a)(3)(ii) of this section, the appropriate information and basic records are being maintained under paragraph (a)(3)(i) of this section, and such information and records are correct and complete;
( 2 ) That each laborer or mechanic (including each helper and apprentice) working on the contract during the payroll period has been paid the full weekly wages earned, without rebate, either directly or indirectly, and that no deductions have been made either directly or indirectly from the full wages earned, other than permissible deductions as set forth in 29 CFR part 3; and
( 3 ) That each laborer or mechanic has been paid not less than the applicable wage rates and fringe benefits or cash equivalents for the classification(s) of work actually performed, as specified in the applicable wage determination incorporated into the contract.
(D) Use of Optional Form WH-347. The weekly submission of a properly executed certification set forth on the reverse side of Optional Form WH-347 will satisfy the requirement for submission of the “Statement of Compliance” required by paragraph (a)(3)(ii)(C) of this section.
(E) Signature. The signature by the contractor, subcontractor, or the contractor's or subcontractor's agent must be an original handwritten signature or a legally valid electronic signature.
(F) Falsification. The falsification of any of the above certifications may subject the contractor or subcontractor to civil or criminal prosecution under 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 31 U.S.C. 3729.
(G) Length of certified payroll retention. The contractor or subcontractor must preserve all certified payrolls during the course of the work and for a period of 3 years after all the work on the prime contract is completed.
(iii) Contracts, subcontracts, and related documents. The contractor or subcontractor must maintain this contract or subcontract and related documents including, without limitation, bids, proposals, amendments, modifications, and extensions. The contractor or subcontractor must preserve these contracts, subcontracts, and related documents during the course of the work and for a period of 3 years after all the work on the prime contract is completed.
(iv) Required disclosures and access —(A) Required record disclosures and access to workers. The contractor or subcontractor must make the records required under paragraphs (a)(3)(i) through (iii) of this section, and any other documents that the [write the name of the agency] or the Department of Labor deems necessary to determine compliance with the labor standards provisions of any of the applicable statutes referenced by § 5.1, available for inspection, copying, or transcription by authorized representatives of the [write the name of the agency] or the Department of Labor, and must permit such representatives to interview workers during working hours on the job.
(B) Sanctions for non-compliance with records and worker access requirements. If the contractor or subcontractor fails to submit the required records or to make them available, or refuses to permit worker interviews during working hours on the job, the Federal agency may, after written notice to the contractor, sponsor, applicant, owner, or other entity, as the case may be, that maintains such records or that employs such workers, take such action as may be necessary to cause the suspension of any further payment, advance, or guarantee of funds. Furthermore, failure to submit the required records upon request or to make such records available, or to permit worker interviews during working hours on the job, may be grounds for debarment action pursuant to § 5.12. In addition, any contractor or other person that fails to submit the required records or make those records available to WHD within the time WHD requests that the records be produced will be precluded from introducing as evidence in an administrative proceeding under 29 CFR part 6 any of the required records that were not provided or made available to WHD. WHD will take into consideration a reasonable request from the contractor or person for an extension of the time for submission of records. WHD will determine the reasonableness of the request and may consider, among other things, the location of the records and the volume of production.
(C) Required information disclosures. Contractors and subcontractors must maintain the full Social Security number and last known address, telephone number, and email address of each covered worker, and must provide them upon request to the [write in name of appropriate Federal agency] if the agency is a party to the contract, or to the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor. If the Federal agency is not such a party to the contract, the contractor, subcontractor, or both, must, upon request, provide the full Social Security number and last known address, telephone number, and email address of each covered worker to the applicant, sponsor, owner, or other entity, as the case may be, that maintains such records, for transmission to the [write in name of agency], the contractor, or the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor for purposes of an investigation or other compliance action.
(4) Apprentices and equal employment opportunity —(i) Apprentices —(A) Rate of pay. Apprentices will be permitted to work at less than the predetermined rate for the work they perform when they are employed pursuant to and individually registered in a bona fide apprenticeship program registered with the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Apprenticeship (OA), or with a State Apprenticeship Agency recognized by the OA. A person who is not individually registered in the program, but who has been certified by the OA or a State Apprenticeship Agency (where appropriate) to be eligible for probationary employment as an apprentice, will be permitted to work at less than the predetermined rate for the work they perform in the first 90 days of probationary employment as an apprentice in such a program. In the event the OA or a State Apprenticeship Agency recognized by the OA withdraws approval of an apprenticeship program, the contractor will no longer be permitted to use apprentices at less than the applicable predetermined rate for the work performed until an acceptable program is approved.
(B) Fringe benefits. Apprentices must be paid fringe benefits in accordance with the provisions of the apprenticeship program. If the apprenticeship program does not specify fringe benefits, apprentices must be paid the full amount of fringe benefits listed on the wage determination for the applicable classification. If the Administrator determines that a different practice prevails for the applicable apprentice classification, fringe benefits must be paid in accordance with that determination.
(C) Apprenticeship ratio. The allowable ratio of apprentices to journeyworkers on the job site in any craft classification must not be greater than the ratio permitted to the contractor as to the entire work force under the registered program or the ratio applicable to the locality of the project pursuant to paragraph (a)(4)(i)(D) of this section. Any worker listed on a payroll at an apprentice wage rate, who is not registered or otherwise employed as stated in paragraph (a)(4)(i)(A) of this section, must be paid not less than the applicable wage rate on the wage determination for the classification of work actually performed. In addition, any apprentice performing work on the job site in excess of the ratio permitted under this section must be paid not less than the applicable wage rate on the wage determination for the work actually performed.
(D) Reciprocity of ratios and wage rates. Where a contractor is performing construction on a project in a locality other than the locality in which its program is registered, the ratios and wage rates (expressed in percentages of the journeyworker's hourly rate) applicable within the locality in which the construction is being performed must be observed. If there is no applicable ratio or wage rate for the locality of the project, the ratio and wage rate specified in the contractor's registered program must be observed.
(ii) Equal employment opportunity. The use of apprentices and journeyworkers under this part must be in conformity with the equal employment opportunity requirements of Executive Order 11246, as amended, and 29 CFR part 30.
(5) Compliance with Copeland Act requirements. The contractor shall comply with the requirements of 29 CFR part 3, which are incorporated by reference in this contract.
(6) Subcontracts. The contractor or subcontractor must insert in any subcontracts the clauses contained in paragraphs (a)(1) through (11) of this section, along with the applicable wage determination(s) and such other clauses or contract modifications as the [write in the name of the Federal agency] may by appropriate instructions require, and a clause requiring the subcontractors to include these clauses and wage determination(s) in any lower tier subcontracts. The prime contractor is responsible for the compliance by any subcontractor or lower tier subcontractor with all the contract clauses in this section. In the event of any violations of these clauses, the prime contractor and any subcontractor(s) responsible will be liable for any unpaid wages and monetary relief, including interest from the date of the underpayment or loss, due to any workers of lower-tier subcontractors, and may be subject to debarment, as appropriate.
(7) Contract termination: debarment. A breach of the contract clauses in 29 CFR 5.5 may be grounds for termination of the contract, and for debarment as a contractor and a subcontractor as provided in 29 CFR 5.12.
(8) Compliance with Davis-Bacon and Related Act requirements. All rulings and interpretations of the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts contained in 29 CFR parts 1, 3, and 5 are herein incorporated by reference in this contract.
(9) Disputes concerning labor standards. Disputes arising out of the labor standards provisions of this contract shall not be subject to the general disputes clause of this contract. Such disputes shall be resolved in accordance with the procedures of the Department of Labor set forth in 29 CFR parts 5, 6, and 7. Disputes within the meaning of this clause include disputes between the contractor (or any of its subcontractors) and the contracting agency, the U.S. Department of Labor, or the employees or their representatives.
(10) Certification of eligibility. (i) By entering into this contract, the contractor certifies that neither it nor any person or firm who has an interest in the contractor's firm is a person or firm ineligible to be awarded Government contracts by virtue of 40 U.S.C. 3144(b) or § 5.12(a).
(ii) No part of this contract shall be subcontracted to any person or firm ineligible for award of a Government contract by virtue of 40 U.S.C. 3144(b) or § 5.12(a).
(iii) The penalty for making false statements is prescribed in the U.S. Code, Title 18 Crimes and Criminal Procedure, 18 U.S.C. 1001.
(11) Anti-retaliation. It is unlawful for any person to discharge, demote, intimidate, threaten, restrain, coerce, blacklist, harass, or in any other manner discriminate against, or to cause any person to discharge, demote, intimidate, threaten, restrain, coerce, blacklist, harass, or in any other manner discriminate against, any worker or job applicant for:
(i) Notifying any contractor of any conduct which the worker reasonably believes constitutes a violation of the DBA, Related Acts, this part, or 29 CFR part 1 or 3;
(ii) Filing any complaint, initiating or causing to be initiated any proceeding, or otherwise asserting or seeking to assert on behalf of themselves or others any right or protection under the DBA, Related Acts, this part, or 29 CFR part 1 or 3;
(iii) Cooperating in any investigation or other compliance action, or testifying in any proceeding under the DBA, Related Acts, this part, or 29 CFR part 1 or 3; or
(iv) Informing any other person about their rights under the DBA, Related Acts, this part, or 29 CFR part 1 or 3.
(b) Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA). The Agency Head must cause or require the contracting officer to insert the following clauses set forth in paragraphs (b)(1) through (5) of this section in full, or (for contracts covered by the Federal Acquisition Regulation) by reference, in any contract in an amount in excess of $100,000 and subject to the overtime provisions of the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act. These clauses must be inserted in addition to the clauses required by paragraph (a) of this section or 29 CFR 4.6. As used in this paragraph (b), the terms “laborers and mechanics” include watchpersons and guards.
(1) Overtime requirements. No contractor or subcontractor contracting for any part of the conract work which may require or involve the employment of laborers or mechanics shall require or permit any such laborer or mechanic in any workweek in which he or she is employed on such work to work in excess of forty hours in such workweek unless such laborer or mechanic receives compensation at a rate not less than one and one-half times the basic rate of pay for all hours worked in excess of forty hours in such workweek.
(2) Violation; liability for unpaid wages; liquidated damages. In the event of any violation of the clause set forth in paragraph (b)(1) of this section the contractor and any subcontractor responsible therefor shall be liable for the unpaid wages and interest from the date of the underpayment. In addition, such contractor and subcontractor shall be liable to the United States (in the case of work done under contract for the District of Columbia or a territory, to such District or to such territory), for liquidated damages. Such liquidated damages shall be computed with respect to each individual laborer or mechanic, including watchpersons and guards, employed in violation of the clause set forth in paragraph (b)(1) of this section, in the sum of $33 for each calendar day on which such individual was required or permitted to work in excess of the standard workweek of forty hours without payment of the overtime wages required by the clause set forth in paragraph (b)(1).
(3) Withholding for unpaid wages and liquidated damages —(i) Withholding process. The [write in the name of the Federal agency or the recipient of Federal assistance] may, upon its own action, or must, upon written request of an authorized representative of the Department of Labor, withhold or cause to be withheld from the contractor so much of the accrued payments or advances as may be considered necessary to satisfy the liabilities of the prime contractor or any subcontractor for any unpaid wages; monetary relief, including interest; and liquidated damages required by the clauses set forth in this paragraph (b) on this contract, any other Federal contract with the same prime contractor, or any other federally assisted contract subject to the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act that is held by the same prime contractor (as defined in § 5.2). The necessary funds may be withheld from the contractor under this contract, any other Federal contract with the same prime contractor, or any other federally assisted contract that is subject to the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act and is held by the same prime contractor, regardless of whether the other contract was awarded or assisted by the same agency, and such funds may be used to satisfy the contractor liability for which the funds were withheld.
(ii) Priority to withheld funds. The Department has priority to funds withheld or to be withheld in accordance with paragraph (a)(2)(i) or (b)(3)(i) of this section, or both, over claims to those funds by:
(A) A contractor's surety(ies), including without limitation performance bond sureties and payment bond sureties;
(B) A contracting agency for its reprocurement costs;
(C) A trustee(s) (either a court-appointed trustee or a U.S. trustee, or both) in bankruptcy of a contractor, or a contractor's bankruptcy estate;
(D) A contractor's assignee(s);
(E) A contractor's successor(s); or
(F) A claim asserted under the Prompt Payment Act, 31 U.S.C. 3901-3907.
(4) Subcontracts. The contractor or subcontractor must insert in any subcontracts the clauses set forth in paragraphs (b)(1) through (5) of this section and a clause requiring the subcontractors to include these clauses in any lower tier subcontracts. The prime contractor is responsible for compliance by any subcontractor or lower tier subcontractor with the clauses set forth in paragraphs (b)(1) through (5). In the event of any violations of these clauses, the prime contractor and any subcontractor(s) responsible will be liable for any unpaid wages and monetary relief, including interest from the date of the underpayment or loss, due to any workers of lower-tier subcontractors, and associated liquidated damages and may be subject to debarment, as appropriate.
(5) Anti-retaliation. It is unlawful for any person to discharge, demote, intimidate, threaten, restrain, coerce, blacklist, harass, or in any other manner discriminate against, or to cause any person to discharge, demote, intimidate, threaten, restrain, coerce, blacklist, harass, or in any other manner discriminate against, any worker or job applicant for:
(i) Notifying any contractor of any conduct which the worker reasonably believes constitutes a violation of the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA) or its implementing regulations in this part;
(ii) Filing any complaint, initiating or causing to be initiated any proceeding, or otherwise asserting or seeking to assert on behalf of themselves or others any right or protection under CWHSSA or this part;
(iii) Cooperating in any investigation or other compliance action, or testifying in any proceeding under CWHSSA or this part; or
(iv) Informing any other person about their rights under CWHSSA or this part.
(c) CWHSSA required records clause. In addition to the clauses contained in paragraph (b) of this section, in any contract subject only to the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act and not to any of the other laws referenced by § 5.1, the Agency Head must cause or require the contracting officer to insert a clause requiring that the contractor or subcontractor must maintain regular payrolls and other basic records during the course of the work and must preserve them for a period of 3 years after all the work on the prime contract is completed for all laborers and mechanics, including guards and watchpersons, working on the contract. Such records must contain the name; last known address, telephone number, and email address; and social security number of each such worker; each worker's correct classification(s) of work actually performed; hourly rates of wages paid; daily and weekly number of hours actually worked; deductions made; and actual wages paid. Further, the Agency Head must cause or require the contracting officer to insert in any such contract a clause providing that the records to be maintained under this paragraph must be made available by the contractor or subcontractor for inspection, copying, or transcription by authorized representatives of the (write the name of agency) and the Department of Labor, and the contractor or subcontractor will permit such representatives to interview workers during working hours on the job.
(d) Incorporation of contract clauses and wage determinations by reference. Although agencies are required to insert the contract clauses set forth in this section, along with appropriate wage determinations, in full into covered contracts, and contractors and subcontractors are required to insert them in any lower-tier subcontracts, the incorporation by reference of the required contract clauses and appropriate wage determinations will be given the same force and effect as if they were inserted in full text.
(e) Incorporation by operation of law. The contract clauses set forth in this section (or their equivalent under the Federal Acquisition Regulation), along with the correct wage determinations, will be considered to be a part of every prime contract required by the applicable statutes referenced by § 5.1 to include such clauses, and will be effective by operation of law, whether or not they are included or incorporated by reference into such contract, unless the Administrator grants a variance, tolerance, or exemption from the application of this paragraph. Where the clauses and applicable wage determinations are effective by operation of law under this paragraph, the prime contractor must be compensated for any resulting increase in wages in accordance with applicable law.
§ 5.6   Enforcement.
(a) Agency responsibilities. (1)(i) The Federal agency has the initial responsibility to ascertain whether the clauses required by § 5.5 and the appropriate wage determination(s) have been incorporated into the contracts subject to the labor standards provisions of the laws referenced by § 5.1. Additionally, a Federal agency that provides Federal financial assistance that is subject to the labor standards provisions of the Act must promulgate the necessary regulations or procedures to require the recipient or sub-recipient of the Federal assistance to insert in its contracts the provisions of § 5.5. No payment, advance, grant, loan, or guarantee of funds will be approved by the Federal agency unless it ensures that the clauses required by § 5.5 and the appropriate wage determination(s) are incorporated into such contracts. Furthermore, no payment, advance, grant, loan, or guarantee of funds will be approved by the Federal agency after the beginning of construction unless there is on file with the Federal agency a certification by the contractor that the contractor and its subcontractors have complied with the provisions of § 5.5 or unless there is on file with the Federal agency a certification by the contractor that there is a substantial dispute with respect to the required provisions.
(ii) If a contract subject to the labor standards provisions of the applicable statutes referenced by § 5.1 is entered into without the incorporation of the clauses required by § 5.5, the agency must, upon the request of the Administrator or upon its own initiative, either terminate and resolicit the contract with the required contract clauses, or incorporate the required clauses into the contract (or ensure they are so incorporated) through supplemental agreement, change order, or any and all authority that may be needed. Where an agency has not entered directly into such a contract but instead has provided Federal financial assistance, the agency must ensure that the recipient or sub-recipient of the Federal assistance similarly incorporates the clauses required into its contracts. The method of incorporation of the correct wage determination, and adjustment in contract price, where appropriate, should be in accordance with applicable law. Additionally, the following requirements apply:
(A) Unless the Administrator directs otherwise, the incorporation of the clauses required by § 5.5 must be retroactive to the date of contract award or start of construction if there is no award.
(B) If this incorporation occurs as the result of a request from the Administrator, the incorporation must take place within 30 days of the date of that request, unless the agency has obtained an extension from the Administrator.
(C) The contractor must be compensated for any increases in wages resulting from incorporation of a missing contract clause.
(D) If the recipient refuses to incorporate the clauses as required, the agency must make no further payment, advance, grant, loan, or guarantee of funds in connection with the contract until the recipient incorporates the required clauses into its contract, and must promptly refer the dispute to the Administrator for further proceedings under § 5.13.
(E) Before terminating a contract pursuant to this section, the agency must withhold or cross-withhold sufficient funds to remedy any back wage liability resulting from the failure to incorporate the correct wage determination or otherwise identify and obligate sufficient funds through a termination settlement agreement, bond, or other satisfactory mechanism.
(F) Notwithstanding the requirement to incorporate the contract clauses and correct wage determination within 30 days, the contract clauses and correct wage determination will be effective by operation of law, retroactive to the beginning of construction, in accordance with § 5.5(e).
(2)(i) Certified payrolls submitted pursuant to § 5.5(a)(3)(ii) must be preserved by the Federal agency for a period of 3 years after all the work on the prime contract is completed, and must be produced at the request of the Department of Labor at any time during the 3-year period, regardless of whether the Department of Labor has initiated an investigation or other compliance action.
(ii) In situations where the Federal agency does not itself maintain certified payrolls required to be submitted pursuant to § 5.5(a)(3)(ii), upon the request of the Department of Labor the Federal agency must ensure that such certified payrolls are provided to the Department of Labor. Such certified payrolls may be provided by the applicant, sponsor, owner, or other entity, as the case may be, directly to the Department of Labor, or to the Federal agency which, in turn, must provide those records to the Department of Labor.
(3) The Federal agency will cause such investigations to be made as may be necessary to assure compliance with the labor standards clauses required by § 5.5 and the applicable statutes referenced in § 5.1. Investigations will be made of all contracts with such frequency as may be necessary to assure compliance. Such investigations will include interviews with workers, which must be taken in confidence, and examinations of certified payrolls, regular payrolls, and other basic records required to be maintained under § 5.5(a)(3). In making such examinations, particular care must be taken to determine the correctness of classification(s) of work actually performed, and to determine whether there is a disproportionate amount of work by laborers and of apprentices registered in approved programs. Such investigations must also include evidence of fringe benefit plans and payments thereunder. Federal agencies must give priority to complaints of alleged violations.
(4) In accordance with normal operating procedures, the contracting agency may be furnished various investigatory material from the investigation files of the Department of Labor. None of the material, other than computations of back wages, liquidated damages, and monetary relief for violations of § 5.5(a)(11) or (b)(5), and the summary of back wages due, may be disclosed in any manner to anyone other than Federal officials charged with administering the contract or program providing Federal assistance to the contract, without requesting the permission and views of the Department of Labor.
(b) Department of Labor investigations and other compliance actions. (1) The Administrator will investigate and conduct other compliance actions as deemed necessary in order to obtain compliance with the labor standards provisions of the applicable statutes referenced by § 5.1, or to affirm or reject the recommendations by the Agency Head with respect to labor standards matters arising under the statutes referenced by § 5.1.
(2) Federal agencies, contractors, subcontractors, sponsors, applicants, owners, or other entities, as the case may be, must cooperate with any authorized representative of the Department of Labor in the inspection of records, in interviews with workers, and in all other aspects of the investigations or other compliance actions.
(3) The findings of such an investigation or other compliance action, including amounts found due, may not be altered or reduced without the approval of the Department of Labor.
(4) Where the underpayments disclosed by such an investigation or other compliance action total $1,000 or more, where there is reason to believe that the contractor or subcontractor has disregarded its obligations to workers or subcontractors, or where liquidated damages may be assessed under CWHSSA, the Department of Labor will furnish the Federal agency an enforcement report detailing the labor standards violations disclosed by the investigation or other compliance action and any action taken by the contractor or subcontractor to correct the violations, including any payment of back wages or any other relief provided workers or remedial actions taken for violations of § 5.5(a)(11) or (b)(5). In other circumstances, the Department of Labor will furnish the Federal agency a notification summarizing the findings of the investigation or other compliance action.
(c) Confidentiality requirements. It is the policy of the Department of Labor to protect from disclosure the identity of its confidential sources and to prevent an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. Accordingly, the identity of a worker or other informant who makes a written or oral statement as a complaint or in the course of an investigation or other compliance action, as well as portions of the statement which would tend to reveal the identity of the informant, will not be disclosed in any manner to anyone other than Federal officials without the prior consent of the informant. Disclosure of such statements is also governed by the provisions of the “Freedom of Information Act” (5 U.S.C. 552, see part 70 of this subtitle) and the “Privacy Act of 1974” (5 U.S.C. 552a, see part 71 of this subtitle).
§ 5.7   Reports to the Secretary of Labor.
(a) Enforcement reports. (1) Where underpayments by a contractor or subcontractor total less than $1,000, where there is no reason to believe that the contractor or subcontractor has disregarded its obligations to workers or subcontractors, and where restitution has been effected and future compliance assured, the Federal agency need not submit its investigative findings and recommendations to the Administrator, unless the investigation or other compliance action was made at the request of the Department of Labor. In the latter case, the Federal agency will submit a factual summary report detailing any violations including any data on the amount of restitution paid, the number of workers who received restitution, liquidated damages assessed under the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act, corrective measures taken (such as “letters of notice” or remedial action taken for violations of § 5.5(a)(11) or (b)(5)), and any information that may be necessary to review any recommendations for an appropriate adjustment in liquidated damages under § 5.8.
(2) Where underpayments by a contractor or subcontractor total $1,000 or more, or where there is reason to believe that the contractor or subcontractor has disregarded its obligations to workers or subcontractors, the Federal agency will furnish within 60 days after completion of its investigation, a detailed enforcement report to the Administrator.
(b) Semi-annual enforcement reports. To assist the Secretary in fulfilling the responsibilities under Reorganization Plan No. 14 of 1950, Federal agencies shall furnish to the Administrator by April 30 and October 31 of each calendar year semi-annual reports on compliance with and enforcement of the labor standards provisions of the Davis-Bacon Act and its related acts covering the periods of October 1 through March 31 and April 1 through September 30, respectively. Such reports shall be prepared in the manner prescribed in memoranda issued to Federal agencies by the Administrator. This report has been cleared in accordance with FPMR 101-11.11 and assigned interagency report control number 1482-DOL-SA.
(c) Additional information. Upon request, the Agency Head shall transmit to the Administrator such information available to the Agency with respect to contractors and subcontractors, their contracts, and the nature of the contract work as the Administrator may find necessary for the performance of his or her duties with respect to the labor standards provisions referred to in this part.
(d) Contract termination. Where a contract is terminated by reason of violations of the labor standards provisions of the statutes listed in § 5.1, a report shall be submitted promptly to the Administrator and to the Comptroller General (if the contract is subject to the Davis-Bacon Act), giving the name and address of the contractor or subcontractor whose right to proceed has been terminated, and the name and address of the contractor or subcontractor, if any, who is to complete the work, the amount and number of the contract, and the description of the work to be performed.
§ 5.8   Liquidated damages under the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act.
(a) The Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act requires that laborers or mechanics shall be paid wages at a rate not less than one and one-half times the basic rate of pay for all hours worked in excess of forty hours in any workweek. In the event of violation of this provision, the contractor and any subcontractor shall be liable for the unpaid wages and in addition for liquidated damages, computed with respect to each laborer or mechanic employed in violation of the Act in the amount of $33 for each calendar day in the workweek on which such individual was required or permitted to work in excess of forty hours without payment of required overtime wages. Any contractor of subcontractor aggrieved by the withholding of liquidated damages shall have the right to appeal to the head of the agency of the United States (or the territory of District of Columbia, as appropriate) for which the contract work was performed or for which financial assistance was provided.
(b) Findings and recommendations of the Agency Head. The Agency Head has the authority to review the administrative determination of liquidated damages and to issue a final order affirming the determination. It is not necessary to seek the concurrence of the Administrator but the Administrator shall be advised of the action taken. Whenever the Agency Head finds that a sum of liquidated damages administratively determined to be due is incorrect or that the contractor or subcontractor violated inadvertently the provisions of the Act notwithstanding the exercise of due care upon the part of the contractor or subcontractor involved, and the amount of the liquidated damages computed for the contract is in excess of $500, the Agency Head may make recommendations to the Secretary that an appropriate adjustment in liquidated damages be made or that the contractor or subcontractor be relieved of liability for such liquidated damages. Such findings with respect to liquidated damages shall include findings with respect to any wage underpayments for which the liquidated damages are determined.
(c) The recommendations of the Agency Head for adjustment or relief from liquidated damages under paragraph (a) of this section shall be reviewed by the Administrator or an authorized representative who shall issue an order concurring in the recommendations, partially concurring in the recommendations, or rejecting the recommendations, and the reasons therefor. The order shall be the final decision of the Department of Labor, unless a petition for review is filed pursuant to part 7 of this title, and the Administrative Review Board in its discretion reviews such decision and order; or, with respect to contracts subject to the Service Contract Act, unless petition for review is filed pursuant to part 8 of this title, and the Administrative Review Board in its discretion reviews such decision and order.
(d) Whenever the Agency Head finds that a sum of liquidated damages administratively determined to be due under section 104(a) of the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act for a contract is $500 or less and the Agency Head finds that the sum of liquidated damages is incorrect or that the contractor or subcontractor violated inadvertently the provisions of the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act notwithstanding the exercise of due care upon the part of the contractor or subcontractor involved, an appropriate adjustment may be made in such liquidated damages or the contractor or subcontractor may be relieved of liability for such liquidated damages without submitting recommendations to this effect or a report to the Department of Labor. This delegation of authority is made under section 105 of the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act and has been found to be necessary and proper in the public interest to prevent undue hardship and to avoid serious impairment of the conduct of Government business.
§ 5.9   Suspension of funds.
(a) Suspension and withholding. In the event of failure or refusal of the contractor or any subcontractor to comply with the applicable statutes referenced by § 5.1 and the labor standards clauses contained in § 5.5, whether incorporated into the contract physically, by reference, or by operation of law, the Federal agency (and any other agency), may, upon its own action, or must, upon written request of an authorized representative of the Department of Labor, take such action as may be necessary to cause the suspension of the payment, advance, or guarantee of funds until such time as the violations are discontinued and/or until sufficient funds are withheld as may be considered necessary to compensate workers for the full amount of wages and monetary relief to which they are entitled, and to cover any liquidated damages and pre-judgment or post-judgment interest which may be due.
(b) Cross-withholding. To satisfy a contractor's liability for back wages on a contract, in addition to the suspension and withholding of funds from the contract(s) under which the violation(s) occurred, the necessary funds also may be withheld under any other Federal contract with the same prime contractor, or any other federally assisted contract that is subject to Davis-Bacon labor standards and/or the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act and is held by the same prime contractor, regardless of whether the other contract was awarded or assisted by the same agency.
(c) Cross-withholding from different legal entities. Cross-withholding of funds may be requested from contracts held by other entities that may be considered to be the same prime contractor as that term is defined in § 5.2. Such cross-withholding is appropriate where the separate legal entities have independently consented to it by entering into contracts containing the withholding provisions at § 5.5(a)(2) and (b)(3). Cross-withholding from a contract held by a different legal entity is not appropriate unless the withholding provisions were incorporated in full or by reference in that different legal entity's contract. Absent exceptional circumstances, cross-withholding is not permitted from a contract held by a different legal entity where the Davis-Bacon labor standards were incorporated only by operation of law into that contract.
§ 5.10   Restitution, criminal action.
(a) In cases other than those forwarded to the Attorney General of the United States under paragraph (b) of this section where violations of the labor standards clauses contained in § 5.5 and the applicable statutes referenced by § 5.1 result in underpayment of wages to workers or monetary damages caused by violations of § 5.5(a)(11) or (b)(5), the Federal agency or an authorized representative of the Department of Labor will request that restitution be made to such workers or on their behalf to plans, funds, or programs for any type of bona fide fringe benefits within the meaning of 40 U.S.C. 3141(2)(B), including interest from the date of the underpayment or loss. Interest on any back wages or monetary relief provided for in this part will be calculated using the percentage established for the underpayment of taxes under 26 U.S.C. 6621 and will be compounded daily.
(b) In cases where the Agency Head or the Administrator finds substantial evidence that such violations are willful and in violation of a criminal statute, the matter will be forwarded to the Attorney General of the United States for prosecution if the facts warrant. In all such cases the Administrator will be informed simultaneously of the action taken.
§ 5.11   Disputes concerning payment of wages.
(a) This section sets forth the procedure for resolution of disputes of fact or law concerning payment of prevailing wage rates, overtime pay, proper classification, or monetary relief for violations of § 5.5(a)(11) or (b)(5). The procedures in this section may be initiated upon the Administrator's own motion, upon referral of the dispute by a Federal agency pursuant to § 5.5(a)(9), or upon request of the contractor or subcontractor.
(b)(1) In the event of a dispute described in paragraph (a) of this section in which it appears that relevant facts are at issue, the Administrator will notify the affected contractor and subcontractor, if any, by registered or certified mail to the last known address or by any other means normally assuring delivery, of the investigation findings. If the Administrator determines that there is reasonable cause to believe that either the contractor, the subcontractor, or both, should also be subject to debarment under the Davis-Bacon Act or any of the other applicable statutes referenced by § 5.1, the notification will so indicate.
(2) A contractor or subcontractor desiring a hearing concerning the Administrator's investigation findings must request such a hearing by letter or by any other means normally assuring delivery, sent within 30 days of the date of the Administrator's notification. The request must set forth those findings which are in dispute and the reasons therefor, including any affirmative defenses.
(3) Upon receipt of a timely request for a hearing, the Administrator will refer the case to the Chief Administrative Law Judge by Order of Reference, with an attached copy of the notification from the Administrator and the response of the contractor or subcontractor, for designation of an Administrative Law Judge to conduct such hearings as may be necessary to resolve the disputed matters. The hearings will be conducted in accordance with the procedures set forth in part 6 of this subtitle.
(c)(1) In the event of a dispute described in paragraph (a) of this section in which it appears that there are no relevant facts at issue, and where there is not at that time reasonable cause to institute debarment proceedings under § 5.12, the Administrator will notify the contractor and subcontractor, if any, by registered or certified mail to the last known address or by any other means normally assuring delivery, of the investigation findings, and will issue a ruling on any issues of law known to be in dispute.
(2)(i) If the contractor or subcontractor disagrees with the factual findings of the Administrator or believes that there are relevant facts in dispute, the contractor or subcontractor must advise the Administrator by letter or by any other means normally assuring delivery, sent within 30 days of the date of the Administrator's notification. In the response, the contractor or subcontractor must explain in detail the facts alleged to be in dispute and attach any supporting documentation.
(ii) Upon receipt of a response under paragraph (c)(2)(i) of this section alleging the existence of a factual dispute, the Administrator will examine the information submitted. If the Administrator determines that there is a relevant issue of fact, the Administrator will refer the case to the Chief Administrative Law Judge in accordance with paragraph (b)(3) of this section. If the Administrator determines that there is no relevant issue of fact, the Administrator will so rule and advise the contractor and subcontractor, if any, accordingly.
(3) If the contractor or subcontractor desires review of the ruling issued by the Administrator under paragraph (c)(1) or (2) of this section, the contractor or subcontractor must file a petition for review thereof with the Administrative Review Board within 30 days of the date of the ruling, with a copy thereof to the Administrator. The petition for review must be filed in accordance with part 7 of this subtitle.
(d) If a timely response to the Administrator's findings or ruling is not made or a timely petition for review is not filed, the Administrator's findings or ruling will be final, except that with respect to debarment under the Davis-Bacon Act, the Administrator will advise the Comptroller General of the Administrator's recommendation in accordance with § 5.12(a)(2). If a timely response or petition for review is filed, the findings or ruling of the Administrator will be inoperative unless and until the decision is upheld by the Administrative Law Judge or the Administrative Review Board.
§ 5.12   Debarment proceedings.
(a) Debarment standard and ineligible list. (1) Whenever any contractor or subcontractor is found by the Secretary of Labor to have disregarded their obligations to workers or subcontractors under the Davis-Bacon Act, any of the other applicable statutes referenced by § 5.1, this part, or part 3 of this subtitle, such contractor or subcontractor and their responsible officers, if any, and any firm, corporation, partnership, or association in which such contractor, subcontractor, or responsible officer has an interest will be ineligible for a period of 3 years to be awarded any contract or subcontract of the United States or the District of Columbia and any contract or subcontract subject to the labor standards provisions of any of the statutes referenced by § 5.1.
(2) In cases arising under contracts covered by the Davis-Bacon Act, the Administrator will transmit to the Comptroller General the name(s) of the contractors or subcontractors and their responsible officers, if any, and any firms, corporations, partnerships, or associations in which the contractors, subcontractors, or responsible officers are known to have an interest, who have been found to have disregarded their obligations to workers or subcontractors, and the recommendation of the Secretary of Labor or authorized representative regarding debarment. In cases arising under contracts covered by any of the applicable statutes referenced by § 5.1 other than the Davis-Bacon Act, the Administrator determines the name(s) of the contractors or subcontractors and their responsible officers, if any, and any firms, corporations, partnerships, or associations in which the contractors, subcontractors, or responsible officers are known to have an interest, to be debarred. The names of such ineligible persons or firms will be published on SAM or its successor website, and an ineligible person or firm will be ineligible for a period of 3 years from the date of publication of their name on the ineligible list, to be awarded any contract or subcontract of the United States or the District of Columbia and any contract or subcontract subject to the labor standards provisions of any of the statutes referenced by § 5.1.
(b) Procedure. (1) In addition to cases under which debarment action is initiated pursuant to § 5.11, whenever as a result of an investigation conducted by the Federal agency or the Department of Labor, and where the Administrator finds reasonable cause to believe that a contractor or subcontractor has committed violations which constitute a disregard of its obligations to workers or subcontractors under the Davis-Bacon Act, the labor standards provisions of any of the other applicable statutes referenced by § 5.1, this part, or part 3 of this subtitle, the Administrator will notify by registered or certified mail to the last known address or by any other means normally assuring delivery, the contractor or subcontractor and responsible officers, if any, and any firms, corporations, partnerships, or associations in which the contractors, subcontractors, or responsible officers are known to have an interest of the finding.
(i) The Administrator will afford such contractor, subcontractor, responsible officer, and any other parties notified an opportunity for a hearing as to whether debarment action should be taken under paragraph (a) of this section. The Administrator will furnish to those notified a summary of the investigative findings.
(ii) If the contractor, subcontractor, responsible officer, or any other parties notified wish to request a hearing as to whether debarment action should be taken, such a request must be made by letter or by any other means normally assuring delivery, sent within 30 days of the date of the notification from the Administrator, and must set forth any findings which are in dispute and the basis for such disputed findings, including any affirmative defenses to be raised.
(iii) Upon timely receipt of such request for a hearing, the Administrator will refer the case to the Chief Administrative Law Judge by Order of Reference, with an attached copy of the notification from the Administrator and the responses of the contractor, subcontractor, responsible officers, or any other parties notified, for designation of an Administrative Law Judge to conduct such hearings as may be necessary to determine the matters in dispute.
(iv) In considering debarment under any of the statutes referenced by § 5.1 other than the Davis-Bacon Act, the Administrative Law Judge will issue an order concerning whether the contractor, subcontractor, responsible officer, or any other party notified is to be debarred in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section. In considering debarment under the Davis-Bacon Act, the Administrative Law Judge will issue a recommendation as to whether the contractor, subcontractor, responsible officers, or any other party notified should be debarred under 40 U.S.C. 3144(b).
(2) Hearings under this section will be conducted in accordance with part 6 of this subtitle. If no hearing is requested within 30 days of the date of the notification from the Administrator, the Administrator's findings will be final, except with respect to recommendations regarding debarment under the Davis-Bacon Act, as set forth in paragraph (a)(2) of this section.
(c) Interests of debarred parties. (1) A finding as to whether persons or firms whose names appear on the ineligible list have an interest under 40 U.S.C. 3144(b) or paragraph (a) of this section in any other firm, corporation, partnership, or association, may be made through investigation, hearing, or otherwise.
(2)(i) The Administrator, on their own motion or after receipt of a request for a determination pursuant to paragraph (c)(3) of this section, may make a finding on the issue of interest.
(ii) If the Administrator determines that there may be an interest but finds that there is insufficient evidence to render a final ruling thereon, the Administrator may refer the issue to the Chief Administrative Law Judge in accordance with paragraph (c)(4) of this section.
(iii) If the Administrator finds that no interest exists, or that there is not sufficient information to warrant the initiation of an investigation, the requesting party, if any, will be so notified and no further action taken.
(iv)(A) If the Administrator finds that an interest exists, the person or firm affected will be notified of the Administrator's finding (by certified mail to the last known address or by any other means normally assuring delivery), which will include the reasons therefore, and such person or firm will be afforded an opportunity to request that a hearing be held to decide the issue.
(B) Such person or firm will have 20 days from the date of the Administrator's ruling to request a hearing. A person or firm desiring a hearing must request it by letter or by any other means normally assuring delivery, sent within 20 days of the date of the Administrator's notification. A detailed statement of the reasons why the Administrator's ruling is in error, including facts alleged to be in dispute, if any, must be submitted with the request for a hearing.
(C) If no hearing is requested within the time mentioned in paragraph (c)(2)(iv)(B) of this section, the Administrator's finding will be final and the Administrator will notify the Comptroller General in cases arising under the DBA. If a hearing is requested, the ruling of the Administrator will be inoperative unless and until the Administrative Law Judge or the Administrative Review Board issues an order that there is an interest.
(3)(i) A request for a determination of interest may be made by any interested party, including contractors or prospective contractors and associations of contractors, representatives of workers, and interested agencies. Such a request must be submitted in writing to the Administrator, Wage and Hour Division, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20210.
(ii) The request must include a statement setting forth in detail why the petitioner believes that a person or firm whose name appears on the ineligible list has an interest in any firm, corporation, partnership, or association that is seeking or has been awarded a contract or subcontract of the United States or the District of Columbia, or a contract or subcontract that is subject to the labor standards provisions of any of the statutes referenced by § 5.1. No particular form is prescribed for the submission of a request under this section.
(4) The Administrator, on their own motion under paragraph (c)(2)(ii) of this section or upon a request for hearing where the Administrator determines that relevant facts are in dispute, will by order refer the issue to the Chief Administrative Law Judge, for designation of an Administrative Law Judge who will conduct such hearings as may be necessary to render a decision solely on the issue of interest. Such proceedings must be conducted in accordance with the procedures set forth in part 6 of this subtitle.
(5) If the person or firm affected requests a hearing and the Administrator determines that relevant facts are not in dispute, the Administrator will refer the issue and the record compiled thereon to the Administrative Review Board to render a decision solely on the issue of interest. Such proceeding must be conducted in accordance with the procedures set forth in part 7 of this subtitle.
§ 5.13   Rulings and interpretations.
(a) All questions relating to the application and interpretation of wage determinations (including the classifications therein) issued pursuant to part 1 of this subtitle, of the rules contained in this part and in parts 1 and 3 of this subtitle, and of the labor standards provisions of any of the laws referenced in § 5.1 must be referred to the Administrator for appropriate ruling or interpretation. These rulings and interpretations are authoritative and those under the Davis-Bacon Act may be relied upon as provided for in section 10 of the Portal-to-Portal Act of 1947 (29 U.S.C. 259). Requests for such rulings and interpretations should be submitted via email to dgceinquiries@dol.gov ; by mail to Administrator, Wage and Hour Division, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20210; or through other means directed by the Administrator.
(b) If any such ruling or interpretation is made by an authorized representative of the Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division, any interested party may seek reconsideration of the ruling or interpretation by the Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division. The procedures and time limits set out in § 1.8 of this subtitle apply to any such request for reconsideration.
§ 5.14   Variations, tolerances, and exemptions from parts 1 and 3 of this subtitle and this part.
The Secretary of Labor may make variations, tolerances, and exemptions from the regulatory requirements of this part and those of parts 1 and 3 of this subtitle whenever the Secretary finds that such action is necessary and proper in the public interest or to prevent injustice and undue hardship. Variations, tolerances, and exemptions may not be made from the statutory requirements of any of the statutes listed in § 5.1 unless the statute specifically provides such authority.
§ 5.15   Limitations, variations, tolerances, and exemptions under the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act.
(a) General. Upon his or her own initiative or upon the request of any Federal agency, the Secretary of Labor may provide under section 105 of the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act reasonable limitations and allow variations, tolerances, and exemptions to and from any or all provisions of that Act whenever the Secretary finds such action to be necessary and proper in the public interest to prevent injustice, or undue hardship, or to avoid serious impairment of the conduct of Government business. Any request for such action by the Secretary shall be submitted in writing, and shall set forth the reasons for which the request is made.
(b) Exemptions. Pursuant to section 105 of the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act, the following classes of contracts are found exempt from all provisions of that Act in order to prevent injustice, undue hardship, or serious impairment of Government business:
(1) Contract work performed in a workplace within a foreign country or within territory under the jurisdiction of the United States other than the following: A State of the United States; the District of Columbia; Puerto Rico; the Virgin Islands; Outer Continental Shelf lands defined in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (ch. 345, 67 Stat. 462); American Samoa; Guam; Wake Island; Eniwetok Atoll; Kwajalein Atoll; and Johnston Island.
(2) Agreements entered into by or on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation providing for the storing in or handling by commercial warehouses of wheat, corn, oats, barley, rye, grain sorghums, soybeans, flaxseed, rice, naval stores, tobacco, peanuts, dry beans, seeds, cotton, and wool.
(3) Sales of surplus power by the Tennessee Valley Authority to States, counties, municipalities, cooperative organization of citizens or farmers, corporations and other individuals pursuant to section 10 of the Tennessee Valley Authority Act of 1933 (16 U.S.C. 8311).
(c) Tolerances. (1) The “basic rate of pay” under section 102 of the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act may be computed as an hourly equivalent to the rate on which time-and-one-half overtime compensation may be computed and paid under section 7 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended (29 U.S.C. 207), as interpreted in part 778 of this title. This tolerance is found to be necessary and proper in the public interest in order to prevent undue hardship.
(2) Concerning the tolerance provided in paragraph (c)(1) of this section, the provisions of section 7(d)(2) of the Fair Labor Standards Act and § 778.7 of this title should be noted. Under these provisions, payments for occasional periods when no work is performed, due to vacations, and similar causes are excludable from the “regular rate” under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Such payments, therefore, are also excludable from the “basic rate” under the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act.
(3) See § 5.8(c) providing a tolerance subdelegating authority to the heads of agencies to make appropriate adjustments in the assessment of liquidated damages totaling $500 or less under specified circumstances.
(4)(i) Time spent in an organized program of related, supplemental instruction by laborers or mechanics employed under bona fide apprenticeship programs may be excluded from working time if the criteria prescribed in paragraphs (c)(4)(ii) and (iii) of this section are met.
(ii) The apprentice comes within the definition contained in § 5.2.
(iii) The time in question does not involve productive work or performance of the apprentice's regular duties.
(d) Variations. (1) In the event of failure or refusal of the contractor or any subcontractor to comply with overtime pay requirements of the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act, if the funds withheld by Federal agencies for the violations are not sufficient to pay fully the unpaid wages and any back pay or other monetary relief due laborers and mechanics, with interest, and the liquidated damages due the United States, the available funds will be used first to compensate the laborers and mechanics for the wages to which they are entitled (or an equitable portion thereof when the funds are not adequate for this purpose); and the balance, if any, will be used for the payment of liquidated damages.
(2) In the performance of any contract entered into pursuant to the provisions of 38 U.S.C. 620 to provide nursing home care of veterans, no contractor or subcontractor under such contract shall be deemed in violation of section 102 of the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act by virtue of failure to pay the overtime wages required by such section for work in excess of 40 hours in the workweek to any individual employed by an establishment which is an institution primarily engaged in the care of the sick, the aged, or the mentally ill or defective who reside on the premises if, pursuant to an agreement or understanding arrived at between the employer and the employee before performance of the work, a work period of 14 consecutive days is accepted in lieu of the workweek of 7 consecutive days for the purpose of overtime compensation and if such individual receives compensation for employment in excess of 8 hours in any workday and in excess of 80 hours in such 14-day period at a rate not less than 1 1/2 times the regular rate at which the individual is employed, computed in accordance with the requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended.
(3) Any contractor or subcontractor performing on a government contract the principal purpose of which is the furnishing of fire fighting or suppression and related services, shall not be deemed to be in violation of section 102 of the Contract Work Hour and Safety Standards Act for failing to pay the overtime compensation required by section 102 of the Act in accordance with the basic rate of pay as defined in paragraph (c)(1) of this section, to any pilot or copilot of a fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft employed on such contract if:
(i) Pursuant to a written employment agreement between the contractor and the employee which is arrived at before performance of the work.
(A) The employee receives gross wages of not less than $300 per week regardless of the total number of hours worked in any workweek, and
(B) Within any workweek the total wages which an employee receives are not less than the wages to which the employee would have been entitled in that workweek if the employee were paid the minimum hourly wage required under the contract pursuant to the provisions of the Service Contract Act of 1965 and any applicable wage determination issued thereunder for all hours worked, plus an additional premium payment of one-half times such minimum hourly wage for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours in the workweek;
(ii) The contractor maintains accurate records of the total daily and weekly hours of work performed by such employee on the government contract. In the event these conditions for the exemption are not met, the requirements of section 102 of the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act shall be applicable to the contract from the date the contractor or subcontractor fails to satisfy the conditions until completion of the contract.
§ 5.16   [Reserved]
§ 5.17   [Reserved]
§ 5.18   Remedies for retaliation.
(a) Administrator request to remedy violation. When the Administrator finds that any person has discriminated in any way against any worker or job applicant in violation of § 5.5(a)(11) or (b)(5), or caused any person to discriminate in any way against any worker or job applicant in violation of § 5.5(a)(11) or (b)(5), the Administrator will notify the person, any contractors for whom the person worked or on whose behalf the person acted, and any upper tier contractors, as well as the relevant contracting agency(ies) of the discrimination and request that the person and any contractors for whom the person worked or on whose behalf the person acted remedy the violation.
(b) Administrator directive to remedy violation and provide make-whole relief. If the person and any contractors for whom the person worked or on whose behalf the person acted do not remedy the violation, the Administrator in the notification of violation findings issued under § 5.11 or § 5.12 will direct the person and any contractors for whom the person worked or on whose behalf the person acted to provide appropriate make-whole relief to affected worker(s) and job applicant(s) or take appropriate remedial action, or both, to correct the violation, and will specify the particular relief and remedial actions to be taken.
(c) Examples of available make-whole relief and remedial actions. Such relief and remedial actions may include, but are not limited to, employment, reinstatement, front pay in lieu of reinstatement, and promotion, together with back pay and interest; compensatory damages; restoration of the terms, conditions, and privileges of the worker's employment or former employment; the expungement of warnings, reprimands, or derogatory references; the provision of a neutral employment reference; and the posting of a notice to workers that the contractor or subcontractor agrees to comply with the Davis-Bacon Act and Related Acts anti-retaliation requirements.
§ 5.20   Scope and significance of this subpart.
The 1964 amendments (Pub. L. 88-349) to the Davis-Bacon Act require, among other things, that the prevailing wage determined for Federal and federally assisted construction include the basic hourly rate of pay and the amount contributed by the contractor or subcontractor for certain fringe benefits (or the cost to them of such benefits). The purpose of this subpart is to explain the provisions of these amendments and make available in one place official interpretations of the fringe benefits provisions of the Davis-Bacon Act. These interpretations will guide the Department of Labor in carrying out its responsibilities under these provisions. These interpretations are intended also to provide guidance to contractors and their associations; laborers and mechanics and their organizations; and local, State, and Federal agencies. The interpretations contained in this subpart are authoritative and may be relied upon as provided for in section 10 of the Portal-to-Portal Act of 1947 (29 U.S.C. 259). The omission to discuss a particular problem in this subpart or in interpretations supplementing it should not be taken to indicate the adoption of any position by the Secretary of Labor with respect to such problem or to constitute an administrative interpretation, practice, or enforcement policy. Questions on matters not fully covered by this subpart may be referred to the Secretary for interpretation as provided in § 5.13.
§ 5.21   [Reserved]
§ 5.22   Effect of the Davis-Bacon fringe benefits provisions.
The Davis-Bacon Act and the prevailing wage provisions of the statutes referenced in § 1.1 of this subtitle confer upon the Secretary of Labor the authority to predetermine, as minimum wages, those wage rates found to be prevailing for corresponding classes of laborers and mechanics employed on projects of a character similar to the contract work in the area in which the work is to be performed. See the definitions of the terms “prevailing wage” and “area” in § 1.2 of this subtitle. The fringe benefits amendments enlarge the scope of this authority by including certain bona fide fringe benefits within the meaning of the terms “wages”, “scale of wages”, “wage rates”, “minimum wages”, and “prevailing wages”, as used in the Davis-Bacon Act.
§ 5.23   The statutory provisions.
Pursuant to the Davis-Bacon Act, as amended and codified at 40 U.S.C. 3141(2), the term “prevailing wages” and similar terms include the basic hourly rate of pay and, for the listed fringe benefits and other bona fide fringe benefits not required by other law, the contributions irrevocably made by a contractor or subcontractor to a trustee or third party pursuant to a bona fide fringe benefit fund, plan, or program, and the costs to the contractor or subcontractor that may be reasonably anticipated in providing bona fide fringe benefits pursuant to an enforceable commitment to carry out a financially responsible plan or program, which was communicated in writing to the affected laborers and mechanics. Section 5.29 discusses specific fringe benefits that may be considered to be bona fide.
§ 5.24   The basic hourly rate of pay.
“The basic hourly rate of pay” is that part of a laborer's or mechanic's wages which the Secretary of Labor would have found and included in wage determinations prior to the 1964 amendments. The Secretary of Labor is required to continue to make a separate finding of this portion of the wage. In general, this portion of the wage is the cash payment made directly to the laborer or mechanic. It does not include fringe benefits.
§ 5.25   Rate of contribution or cost for fringe benefits.
(a) Under the amendments, the Secretary is obligated to make a separate finding of the rate of contribution or cost of fringe benefits. Only the amount of contributions or costs for fringe benefits which meet the requirements of the act will be considered by the Secretary. These requirements are discussed in this subpart.
(b) The rate of contribution or cost is ordinarily an hourly rate, and will be reflected in the wage determination as such. In some cases, however, the contribution or cost for certain fringe benefits may be expressed in a formula or method of payment other than an hourly rate. In such cases, the Secretary may in his discretion express in the wage determination the rate of contribution or cost used in the formula or method or may convert it to an hourly rate of pay whenever he finds that such action would facilitate the administration of the Act. See § 5.5(a)(1)(i) and (iii).
(c) Except as provided in this section, contractors must “annualize” all contributions to fringe benefit plans (or the reasonably anticipated costs of an unfunded benefit plan) to determine the hourly equivalent for which they may take credit against their fringe benefit obligation. The “annualization” principle reflects that DBRA credit for contributions made to bona fide fringe benefit plans (or the reasonably anticipated costs of an unfunded benefit plan) is allowed based on the effective rate of contributions or costs incurred for total hours worked during the year (or a shorter time period) by a laborer or mechanic.
(1) Method of computation. To annualize the cost of providing a fringe benefit, a contractor must divide the total cost of the fringe benefit contribution (or the reasonably anticipated costs of an unfunded benefit plan) by the total number of hours worked on both private (non-DBRA) work and work covered by the Davis-Bacon Act and/or Davis-Bacon Related Acts (DBRA-covered work) during the time period to which the cost is attributable to determine the rate of contribution per hour. If the amount of contribution varies per worker, credit must be determined separately for the amount contributed on behalf of each worker.
(2) Exception requests. Contractors, plans, and other interested parties may request an exception from the annualization requirement by submitting a request to the WHD Administrator. A request for an exception may be granted only if each of the requirements of paragraph (c)(3) of this section is satisfied. Contributions to defined contribution pension plans (DCPPs) are excepted from the annualization requirement, and exception requests therefore are not required in connection with DCPPs, provided that each of the requirements of paragraph (c)(3) is satisfied and the DCPP provides for immediate participation and essentially immediate vesting ( i.e., the benefit vests within the first 500 hours worked). Requests must be submitted in writing to the Division of Government Contracts Enforcement by email to DBAannualization@dol.gov or by mail to Director, Division of Government Contracts Enforcement, Wage and Hour Division, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave. NW, Room S-3502, Washington, DC 20210.
(3) Exception requirements. Contributions to a bona fide fringe benefit plan (or the reasonably anticipated costs of an unfunded benefit plan) are excepted from the annualization requirement if all of the following criteria are satisfied:
(i) The benefit provided is not continuous in nature. A benefit is not continuous in nature when it is not available to a participant without penalty throughout the year or other time period to which the cost of the benefit is attributable; and
(ii) The benefit does not compensate both private work and DBRA-covered work. A benefit does not compensate both private and DBRA-covered work if any benefits attributable to periods of private work are wholly paid for by compensation for private work.
§ 5.26   “* * * contribution irrevocably made * * * to a trustee or to a third person”.
(a) Requirements. The following requirements apply to any fringe benefit contributions made to a trustee or to a third person pursuant to a fund, plan, or program:
(1) Such contributions must be made irrevocably;
(2) The trustee or third person may not be affiliated with the contractor or subcontractor;
(3) A trustee must adhere to any fiduciary responsibilities applicable under law; and
(4) The trust or fund must not permit the contractor or subcontractor to recapture any of the contributions paid in or any way divert the funds to its own use or benefit.
(b) Excess payments. Notwithstanding the above, a contractor or subcontractor may recover sums which it had paid to a trustee or third person in excess of the contributions actually called for by the plan, such as excess payments made in error or in order to cover the estimated cost of contributions at a time when the exact amount of the necessary contributions is not yet known. For example, a benefit plan may provide for definite insurance benefits for employees in the event of contingencies such as death, sickness, or accident, with the cost of such definite benefits borne by the contractor or subcontractor. In such a case, if the insurance company returns the amount that the contractor or subcontractor paid in excess of the amount required to provide the benefits, this will not be deemed a recapture or diversion by the employer of contributions made pursuant to the plan. ( See Report of the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, S. Rep. No. 963, 88th Cong., 2d Sess., p. 5.)
§ 5.27   “* * * fund, plan, or program”.
The contributions for fringe benefits must be made pursuant to a fund, plan or program (sec. 1(b)(2)(A) of the act). The phrase “fund, plan, or program” is merely intended to recognize the various types of arrangements commonly used to provide fringe benefits through employer contributions. The phrase is identical with language contained in section 3(1) of the Welfare and Pension Plans Disclosure Act. In interpreting this phrase, the Secretary will be guided by the experience of the Department in administering the latter statute. (See Report of Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, S. Rep. No. 963, 88th Cong., 2d Sess., p. 5.)
§ 5.28   Unfunded plans.
(a) The costs to a contractor or subcontractor which may be reasonably anticipated in providing benefits of the types described in the Act, pursuant to an enforceable commitment to carry out a financially responsible plan or program, are considered fringe benefits within the meaning of the Act ( see 40 U.S.C. 3141(2)(B)(ii)). The legislative history suggests that these provisions were intended to permit the consideration of fringe benefits meeting these requirements, among others, and which are provided from the general assets of a contractor or subcontractor. (Report of the House Committee on Education and Labor, H. Rep. No. 308, 88th Cong., 1st Sess., p. 4; see also S. Rep. No. 963, p. 6.)
(b) Such a benefit plan or program, commonly referred to as an unfunded plan, may not constitute a fringe benefit within the meaning of the Act unless:
(1) It could be reasonably anticipated to provide the benefits described in the Act;
(2) It represents a commitment that can be legally enforced;
(3) It is carried out under a financially responsible plan or program;
(4) The plan or program providing the benefits has been communicated in writing to the laborers and mechanics affected; and
(5) The contractor or subcontractor requests and receives approval of the plan or program from the Secretary, as described in paragraph (c) of this section.
(c) To receive approval of an unfunded plan or program, a contractor or subcontractor must demonstrate in its request to the Secretary that the unfunded plan or program, and the benefits provided under such plan or program, are “bona fide,” meet the requirements set forth in paragraphs (b)(1) through (4) of this section, and are otherwise consistent with the Act. The request must include sufficient documentation to enable the Secretary to evaluate these criteria. Contractors and subcontractors may request approval of an unfunded plan or program by submitting a written request in one of the following manners:
(1) By mail to the United States Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Director, Division of Government Contracts Enforcement, 200 Constitution Ave. NW, Room S-3502, Washington, DC 20210;
(2) By email to unfunded@dol.gov (or its successor email address); or
(3) By any other means directed by the Administrator.
(d) Unfunded plans or programs may not be used as a means of avoiding the Act's requirements. The words “reasonably anticipated” require that any unfunded plan or program be able to withstand a test of actuarial soundness. Moreover, as in the case of other fringe benefits payable under the Act, an unfunded plan or program must be “bona fide” and not a mere simulation or sham for avoiding compliance with the Act. To prevent these provisions from being used to avoid compliance with the Act, the Secretary may direct a contractor or subcontractor to set aside in an account assets which, under sound actuarial principles, will be sufficient to meet future obligations under the plan. Such an account must be preserved for the purpose intended. (S. Rep. No. 963, p. 6.)
§ 5.29   Specific fringe benefits.
(a) The act lists all types of fringe benefits which the Congress considered to be common in the construction industry as a whole. These include the following: Medical or hospital care, pensions on retirement or death, compensation for injuries or illness resulting from occupational activity, or insurance to provide any of the foregoing, unemployment benefits, life insurance, disability and sickness insurance, or accident insurance, vacation and holiday pay, defrayment of costs of apprenticeship or other similar programs, or other bona fide fringe benefits, but only where the contractor or subcontractor is not required by other Federal, State, or local law to provide any of such benefits.
(b) The legislative history indicates that it was not the intent of the Congress to impose specific standards relating to administration of fringe benefits. It was assumed that the majority of fringe benefits arrangements of this nature will be those which are administered in accordance with requirements of section 302(c)(5) of the National Labor Relations Act, as amended (S. Rep. No. 963, p. 5).
(c) The term “other bona fide fringe benefits” is the so-called “open end” provision. This was included so that new fringe benefits may be recognized by the Secretary as they become prevailing. It was pointed out that a particular fringe benefit need not be recognized beyond a particular area in order for the Secretary to find that it is prevailing in that area. (S. Rep. No. 963, p. 6).
(d) The legislative reports indicate that, to insure against considering and giving credit to any and all fringe benefits, some of which might be illusory or not genuine, the qualification was included that such fringe benefits must be “bona fide” (H. Rep. No. 308, p. 4; S. Rep. No. 963, p. 6). No difficulty is anticipated in determining whether a particular fringe benefit is “bona fide” in the ordinary case where the benefits are those common in the construction industry and which are established under a usual fund, plan, or program. This would be typically the case of those fringe benefits listed in paragraph (a) of this section which are funded under a trust or insurance program. Contractors may take credit for contributions made under such conventional plans without requesting the approval of the Secretary of Labor under § 5.5(a)(1)(iv).
(e) Where the plan is not of the conventional type described in paragraph (d) of this section, the Secretary must examine the facts and circumstances to determine whether fringe benefits under the plan are “bona fide” in accordance with requirements of the Act. This is particularly true with respect to unfunded plans discussed in § 5.28. Contractors or subcontractors seeking credit under the Act for costs incurred for such plans must request specific approval from the Secretary under § 5.5(a)(1)(iv).
(f) The act excludes fringe benefits which a contractor or subcontractor is obligated to provide under other Federal, State, or local law. No credit may be taken under the act for the payments made for such benefits. For example, payment for workmen's compensation insurance under either a compulsory or elective State statute are not considered payments for fringe benefits under the Act. While each situation must be separately considered on its own merits, payments made for travel, subsistence or to industry promotion funds are not normally payments for fringe benefits under the Act. The omission in the Act of any express reference to these payments, which are common in the construction industry, suggests that these payments should not normally be regarded as bona fide fringe benefits under the Act.
(g) For a contractor or subcontractor to take credit for the costs of an apprenticeship program, the following requirements must be met:
(1) The program, in addition to meeting all other relevant requirements for fringe benefits in this subpart, must be registered with the Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration, Office of Apprenticeship (“OA”), or with a State Apprenticeship Agency recognized by the OA.
(2) The contractor or subcontractor may only take credit for amounts reasonably related to the costs of the apprenticeship benefits actually provided to the contractor's employees, such as instruction, books, and tools or materials. It may not take credit for voluntary contributions beyond such costs. Amounts the employer is required to contribute by a collective bargaining agreement or by a bona fide apprenticeship plan will be presumed to be reasonably related to such costs in the absence of evidence to the contrary.
(3) Costs incurred for the apprenticeship for one classification of laborer or mechanic may not be used to offset costs incurred for another classification.
(4) In applying the annualization principle to compute the allowable fringe benefit credit pursuant to § 5.25, the total number of working hours of employees to which the cost of an apprenticeship program is attributable is limited to the total number of hours worked by laborers and mechanics in the apprentice's classification. For example, if a contractor enrolls an employee in an apprenticeship program for carpenters, the permissible hourly Davis-Bacon credit is determined by dividing the cost of the program by the total number of hours worked by the contractor's carpenters and carpenters' apprentices on covered and non-covered projects during the time period to which the cost is attributable, and such credit may only be applied against the contractor's prevailing wage obligations for all carpenters and carpenters' apprentices for each hour worked on the covered project.
§ 5.30   Types of wage determinations.
(a) When fringe benefits are prevailing for various classes of laborers and mechanics in the area of proposed construction, such benefits are includable in any Davis-Bacon wage determination. The examples contained in paragraph (c) of this section demonstrate how fringe benefits may be listed on wage determinations in such cases.
(b) Wage determinations do not include fringe benefits for various classes of laborers and mechanics whenever such benefits do not prevail in the area of proposed construction. When this occurs, the wage determination will contain only the basic hourly rates of pay which are prevailing for the various classes of laborers and mechanics. An illustration of this situation is contained in paragraph (c) of this section.
(c) The following illustrates examples of the situations discussed in paragraph (a) and (b) of this section:
§ 5.31   Meeting wage determination obligations.
(a) A contractor or subcontractor performing work subject to a Davis-Bacon wage determination may discharge their minimum wage obligations for the payment of both straight time wages and fringe benefits by paying in cash, making payments or incurring costs for “bona fide” fringe benefits of the types listed in the applicable wage determination or otherwise found prevailing by the Secretary of Labor, or by a combination thereof.
(b) A contractor or subcontractor may discharge their obligations for the payment of the basic hourly rates and the fringe benefits where both are contained in a wage determination applicable to their laborers or mechanics in the following ways:
(1) By paying not less than the basic hourly rate to the laborers or mechanics and by making contributions for “bona fide” fringe benefits in a total amount not less than the total of the fringe benefits required by the wage determination. For example, the obligations for “Laborer: common or general” in § 5.30, figure 1 to paragraph (c), will be met by the payment of a straight time hourly rate of not less than $21.93 and by contributions of not less than a total of $6.27 an hour for “bona fide” fringe benefits; or
(2) By paying in cash directly to laborers or mechanics for the basic hourly rate and by making an additional cash payment in lieu of the required benefits. For example, where an employer does not make payments or incur costs for fringe benefits, they would meet their obligations for “Laborer: common or general” in § 5.30, figure 1 to paragraph (c), by paying directly to the laborers a straight time hourly rate of not less than $28.60 ($21.93 basic hourly rate plus $6.27 for fringe benefits); or
(3) As stated in paragraph (a) of this section, the contractor or subcontractor may discharge their minimum wage obligations for the payment of straight time wages and fringe benefits by a combination of the methods illustrated in paragraphs (b)(1) and (2) of this section. Thus, for example, their obligations for “Laborer: common or general” may be met by an hourly rate, partly in cash and partly in payments or costs for fringe benefits which total not less than $28.60 ($21.93 basic hourly rate plus $6.27 for fringe benefits).
§ 5.32   Overtime payments.
(a) The act excludes amounts paid by a contractor or subcontractor for fringe benefits in the computation of overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act, and the Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act whenever the overtime provisions of any of these statutes apply concurrently with the Davis-Bacon Act or its related prevailing wage statutes. It is clear from the legislative history that in no event can the regular or basic rate upon which premium pay for overtime is calculated under the aforementioned Federal statutes be less than the amount determined by the Secretary of Labor as the basic hourly rate (i.e. cash rate) under section 1(b)(1) of the Davis-Bacon Act. (See S. Rep. No. 963, p. 7.) Contributions by employees are not excluded from the regular or basic rate upon which overtime is computed under these statutes; that is, an employee's regular or basic straight-time rate is computed on his earnings before any deductions are made for the employee's contributions to fringe benefits. The contractor's contributions or costs for fringe benefits may be excluded in computing such rate so long as the exclusions do not reduce the regular or basic rate below the basic hourly rate contained in the wage determination.
(b) The legislative report notes that the phrase “contributions irrevocably made by a contractor or subcontractor to a trustee or to a third person pursuant to a fund, plan, or program” was added to the bill in Committee. This language in essence conforms to the overtime provisions of section 7(d)(4) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, as amended. The intent of the committee was to prevent any avoidance of overtime requirements under existing law. See H. Rep. No. 308, p. 5.
(c)(1) The act permits a contractor or subcontractor to pay a cash equivalent of any fringe benefits found prevailing by the Secretary of Labor. Such a cash equivalent would also be excludable in computing the regular or basic rate under the Federal overtime laws mentioned in paragraph (a). For example, the W construction contractor pays his laborers or mechanics $3.50 in cash under a wage determination of the Secretary of Labor which requires a basic hourly rate of $3 and a fringe benefit contribution of 50 cents. The contractor pays the 50 cents in cash because he made no payments and incurred no costs for fringe benefits. Overtime compensation in this case would be computed on a regular or basic rate of $3.00 an hour. However, in some cases a question of fact may be presented in ascertaining whether or not a cash payment made to laborers or mechanics is actually in lieu of a fringe benefit or is simply part of their straight time cash wage. In the latter situation, the cash payment is not excludable in computing overtime compensation. Consider the examples set forth in paragraphs (c)(2) and (3) of this section.
(2) The X construction contractor has for some time been paying $3.25 an hour to a mechanic as his basic cash wage plus 50 cents an hour as a contribution to a welfare and pension plan. The Secretary of Labor determines that a basic hourly rate of $3 an hour and a fringe benefit contribution of 50 cents are prevailing. The basic hourly rate or regular rate for overtime purposes would be $3.25, the rate actually paid as a basic cash wage for the employee of X, rather than the $3 rate determined as prevailing by the Secretary of Labor.
(3) Under the same prevailing wage determination, discussed in paragraph (c)(2) of this section, the Y construction contractor who has been paying $3 an hour as his basic cash wage on which he has been computing overtime compensation reduces the cash wage to $2.75 an hour but computes his costs of benefits under section 1(b)(2)(B) as $1 an hour. In this example the regular or basic hourly rate would continue to be $3 an hour. See S. Rep. No. 963, p. 7.
§ 5.33   Administrative expenses of a contractor or subcontractor.
(a) Creditable costs. The costs incurred by a contractor's insurance carrier, third-party trust fund, or other third-party administrator that are directly related to the administration and delivery of bona fide fringe benefits to the contractor's laborers and mechanics can be credited towards the contractor's obligations under a Davis-Bacon wage determination. Thus, for example, a contractor may take credit for the premiums it pays to an insurance carrier or the contributions it makes to a third-party trust fund that both administers and delivers bona fide fringe benefits under a plan, where the insurance carrier or third-party trust fund uses those monies to pay for bona fide fringe benefits and for the administration and delivery of such benefits, including evaluating benefit claims, deciding whether they should be paid, approving referrals to specialists, and other reasonable costs of administering the plan. Similarly, a contractor may also take credit for monies paid to a third-party administrator to perform tasks that are directly related to the administration and delivery of bona fide fringe benefits, including under an unfunded plan.
(b) Noncreditable costs. A contractor's own administrative expenses incurred in connection with the provision of fringe benefits are considered business expenses of the firm and are therefore not creditable towards the contractor's prevailing wage obligations, including when the contractor pays a third party to perform such tasks in whole or in part. For example, a contractor may not take credit for the costs of office employees who perform tasks such as filling out medical insurance claim forms for submission to an insurance carrier, paying and tracking invoices from insurance carriers or plan administrators, updating the contractor's personnel records when workers are hired or separate from employment, sending lists of new hires and separations to insurance carriers or plan administrators, or sending out tax documents to the contractor's workers, nor can the contractor take credit for the cost of paying a third-party entity to perform these tasks. Additionally, recordkeeping costs associated with ensuring the contractor's compliance with the Davis-Bacon fringe benefit requirements, such as the cost of tracking the amount of a contractor's fringe benefit contributions or making sure contributions cover the fringe benefit amount claimed, are considered a contractor's own administrative expenses and are not considered directly related to the administration and delivery of bona fide fringe benefits. Thus, such costs are not creditable whether the contractor performs those tasks itself or whether it pays a third party a fee to perform those tasks.
(c) Questions regarding administrative expenses. Any questions regarding whether a particular cost or expense is creditable towards a contractor's prevailing wage obligations should be referred to the Administrator for resolution prior to any such credit being claimed.
§ 5.40   Severability.
The provisions of this part are separate and severable and operate independently from one another. If any provision of this part is held to be invalid or unenforceable by its terms, or as applied to any person or circumstance, or stayed pending further agency action, the provision is to be construed so as to continue to give the maximum effect to the provision permitted by law, unless such holding is one of utter invalidity or unenforceability, in which event the provision is severable from this part and will not affect the remaining provisions.