SWACCA Takes Action to Support FAR Council Proposed Rule on Project Labor Agreements
This week, SWACCA concluded weeks of work to ensure the submission of three distinct comment letters in support of the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council’s proposed rule entitled, “Use of Project Labor Agreements for Federal Construction Projects” to implement President Biden’s February Executive Order creating a presumption that PLAs are to be used by federal agencies for large-scale construction projects for which the cost is estimated to be $35 million or more, subject to specified exemptions.
First, SWACCA submitted its own comments in support of the PLA proposed rule and the Executive Order it implements. SWACCA’s letter highlighted how PLAs provide structure and stability to large-scale construction projects and also help to prevent the misclassification of construction workers as independent contractors and ensure a level playing field for law-abiding contractors, like SWACCA members. The letter also emphasizes that, contrary to arguments from other industry groups, PLAs do not discourage or prevent any contractors from bidding on projects.