AGC Continues Successful Campaign Against Government-Mandated PLAs

AGC continues to monitor federal contracting agencies’ PLA policies and practices and to educate agencies about the problems with PLA mandates and bid preferences.  AGC’s efforts include over 80 letters and survey responses sent during the Obama Administration urging agencies not to impose such mandates or preferences.  In most cases, the letters were sent in response to agency announcements that a PLA mandate or preference was under consideration for a particular project or an anticipated set of projects in a particular area.  Of those, only one PLA mandate has been issued to date. The letters explain why AGC believes that publicly funded contracts should be awarded without regard to contractors’ lawful labor relations policies and why agencies should defer to contractors’ judgment as to whether a PLA is appropriate for a given project.  AGC sends such letters only when supported by the AGC chapter(s) in the area. The most recent letters were sent to specific districts of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers seeking public comment regarding the potential use of a PLA mandate on particular planned projects, including the Sacramento District regarding a project at Beale Air Force Base, the Nashville District regarding a project at Center Hill Dam, and the Vicksburg District regarding a project at the West Bank Levee.  In addition to the Corps, AGC has sent letters to the General Services Administration, the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Labor, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Federal Highway Administration.  Each letter is tailored for the particular project and circumstances under review. AGC neither supports nor opposes contractors’ voluntary use of PLAs on government projects, but strongly opposes any government mandate for contractors’ use of PLAs. AGC is committed to free and open competition for publicly funded work, and believes that the lawful labor relations policies and practices of private construction contractors should not be a factor in a government agency’s selection process. For more information on AGC’s efforts opposing government mandated PLAs and for related resources, click here.