The U.S. Department of Labor’s massive final rule “Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulations” takes effect on all new contracts awarded on and after October 23, with limited exceptions.

12 Additional Federally Funded Projects Designated

Congressman Emanuel Cleaver speaks at the new Kansas City Current Stadium project on the first day of Construction Inclusion Week 2023

In its latest Settlements Report, the AGC-supported Construction Labor Research Council (CLRC) advises that construction-industry collective bargaining agreements settled from January through September of 2023 provide an average 4.6 percent increase in the first contract year. The CLRC notes that the multi-year settlements are now seeing the full effects of the surge in inflation. Because most unions will have negotiated new rates by the end of 2025, the CLRC projects that the steep growth in increases will slow. Measured by dollar value, the first-year increases during the first part of 2023 was $2.97, a substantial $1.32 jump from 2020. The CLRC projects first-year increases to average $3.40 in 2025. Regionally every region except New England has seen increases and nearly every craft has seen increases, some with notable increases.

State construction laws and case law interpreting those laws dramatically impact your contract and, thereby, your risk profile on a project. Before you sign or bid on your next construction contract, it is wise to have a system to navigate these laws. ConsensusDocs is presenting a webinar on November 9th (Register here), providing a systematic approach to navigating critical construction laws and the latest trends. Specific laws covered will include hot-button state construction laws, such as pay-if-paid, indemnification, prompt pay, and notice requirements.

As previously reported, AGC is concerned that changes proposed by the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) could complicate and prolong the approval of infrastructure projects, jeopardizing the potential benefits of recent legislative acts. On September 29, AGC joined 25 other industry groups in opposing CEQ’s proposed changes to the rules that implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).