Effective communication and documentation helps EERE grant recipients comply with Davis-Bacon Act (DBA) requirements, as exhibited in the practices of one hard-working Recipient.  Like many others, this Recipient excels not only in technical areas, but also in the administration of their EERE award, including ensuring that DBA requirements are being met.

DBA requires that each contract over $2,000 to which the United States or the District of Columbia is a party for the construction of public buildings contain a clause requiring contractors to pay the prevailing wages as determined by the Secretary of Labor  to laborers and mechanics employed upon site of work.  Laborers and Mechanics are defined as the various types of skilled workers employed under the contract. 

One Recipient in the Mid-Atlantic is taking a series of simple but effective steps to ensure compliance with DBA requirements. Each invoice associated with its EERE award is reviewed for compliance, initialed by the reviewer and then double-checked by others within the Recipient organization.  Recently, during a DBA review of this Recipient, EERE representatives noticed supporting documentation attached to a project invoice indicating a correction of an employee’s rate of pay was required. As a result, the Recipient was able to clearly demonstrate that compliance is being managed proactively and that workers are being paid fair wages.

Together, Recipients and EERE technical and administrative staff support EERE’s Recovery Act goals to develop energy technology resources and create jobs.