Every public electrical bid in the US runs into prevailing wage. For IBEW/NECA contractors it's the default.

1. What Prevailing Wage (and Davis-Bacon) Actually Is

Prevailing wage is the legally required minimum rate — base wage plus fringes — on publicly funded construction. Federally, the Davis-Bacon Act enforces it on every federal contract above the threshold; most states add their own "little Davis-Bacon" acts on top.

Each project's rate is set by a Wage and Hour Division Wage Determination issued before bid day, tied to county and trade classification. IBEW locals negotiate CBAs whose total package — base + H&W + pension — generally exceeds the WD, making the CBA rate effectively the prevailing wage. Federal projects report compliance on Form WH-347 certified payroll.

2. Why IBEW/NECA Contractors Meet It on Every Bid

For union contractors, prevailing wage isn't a special case. Federal buildings, transit, schools, hospitals, and state projects above the threshold all trigger it — and the local CBA package rate is the prevailing wage on most union scopes.

Three rules drive every audit:

  • The total package (base + fringe) must match or exceed the WD.
  • Apprentices must be paid the published step rate, not a flat percentage of journeyman.
  • Every labor hour must appear on certified payroll, broken out by craft.
Prevailing Wage Compliance = Total Package Rate ≥ Wage Determination
(Base Wage + Health & Welfare + Pension) ≥ Published WD for the County

Two IBEW locals whose CBA package rates currently meet their published WD:

Local WD Journeyman Package Rate IBEW Total Package (BidWire) Compliant?
IBEW Local 3 (NYC) $94.80/hr $96.46/hr Yes
IBEW Local 6 (SF) $135.40/hr $137.10/hr Yes

Risk isn't that the rate falls short — it's that the estimate does, or that apprentices are modeled as a flat journeyman percentage when the WD requires the published step rate by year.

3. How BidWire Bakes It Into the Estimate

BidWire makes prevailing-wage compliance the default — three things happen automatically.

Package rate auto-applied from the selected local

Pick any IBEW local and BidWire populates the full package rate for every classification from the 2026 CBA. Every labor calculation uses the package — never the base alone.

⚠️ Always use the package rate, not the base wage. The base is the W-2 line; the package is what certified payroll reports and the WD is measured against.

Classification-aware crew pricing

Assign Journeyman, Foreman, or apprentice step 1–5 and BidWire applies the published step rate. Mismatches against the classification table flag a warning.

✓ BidWire flags apprentice step-rate mismatches before export so the WD-required step rate can never silently degrade into a flat percentage of journeyman wages.

Certified-payroll-ready rate breakdown

Every line item carries its full breakdown — base, H&W, pension, total package, and the local. Same numbers feed your PDF bid sheet and WH-347 reporting.

All standard when you start free with the BidWire estimate builder. See the pricing page — $29/mo, 14-day trial.

4. Common Compliance Pitfalls to Avoid

⚠️ Bidding at base wage only. You'll blow $30+/hour per journeyman the moment payroll runs against the actual package rate.
⚠️ Single apprentice rate. Apprentices are paid at the published step rate by year — flat journeyman percentages don't satisfy the WD.
⚠️ Missing mid-project rate increases. CBAs step up annually, typically June 1 — a bid locked at January rates falls below the WD by month three.

Build Your First Prevailing-Wage Estimate in Minutes

BidWire pulls 2026 IBEW package rates for all 12 major US locals and applies the package rate, apprentice step rates, and certified-payroll breakdown to every line item automatically.

Start Free — No Credit Card

IBEW locals covered: Local 3 NYC · Local 6 SF · Local 11 LA · Local 46 Seattle · Local 68 Denver · Local 98 Philly · Local 103 Boston · Local 134 Chicago · and more

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