• DIR Wage Determinations • Trade Classification • Fringe Benefit Modeling • Bid Reviews • Pre-Award Audits
What happens when you bid without an assessment
01
The wrong wage determination
DIR publishes wage determinations by location and effective date. The right rate for one zip code can be wrong for the next county. Bidding off a stale or generic determination is one of the most common errors on California public works.
03
Fringe benefits get underestimated
The base rate is what most contractors notice. The fringe is what gets missed. A determination's full hourly cost includes health, vacation, training, and pension fringes that can add thirty to forty percent on top of the base rate.
Most contractors learn that their bid was wrong the moment the awarding agency or DIR points it out. By then, the project is locked in and the margin is gone.
02
Classifications cost different money
A Laborer rate and a Carpenter rate aren't close. If your bid models the wrong classification for the work that will actually happen, the margin is gone before the project starts. Recovery requires a change order or absorbing the cost.
04
Apprenticeship ratios aren't optional
On qualifying projects, apprenticeship ratios are mandatory. Bidding without modeling the apprenticeship requirement leaves you with a labor mix that doesn't match the contract you signed, and a violation waiting to happen.
What's included in an assessment
Every assessment is scoped to your specific project, location, and trade mix. The output is the documentation you need to bid with confidence and the records that protect you post-award.
✓
Current DIR wage determination pull
Most recent determination for your project's awarding body, location, and effective date.
✓
Trade classification analysis
Mapping of the actual work scope to current California prevailing wage classifications.
✓
Full hourly cost modeling
Base rate plus fringe benefits plus mandatory employer contributions, broken down by classification.
✓
Apprenticeship requirement review
Identification of qualifying projects and modeled apprenticeship ratios per craft as required by DIR.
✓
Sub-trade rate verification
Rates and classifications confirmed for every trade your bid will need to cover, prime or sub.
✓
Bid review and gap analysis
Direct review of your draft bid against compliance requirements before submission to the awarding agency.
✓
Documentation package
Written record of the determination, classifications, and decisions used to build your bid for your project files.
✓
Post-award onboarding handoff
If you win the bid, the assessment work flows directly into your certified payroll setup with no rework required.
01
Project Intake
You send us the project details: awarding body, location, scope of work, expected trades, and bid timeline. We confirm what determination applies and what classifications are in scope.
How an assessment runs
Every assessment follows the same three-step structure, sized to your project. The full cycle takes days, not weeks, so you can run an assessment without delaying your bid timeline.
02
Analysis
We pull the current DIR determination, classify the work, model fringe benefits, and identify any apprenticeship requirements. Anything in the project documents that affects compliance gets flagged.
03
Deliverables
You receive the assessment package: rates by trade, classifications, fringe modeling, and a written record of the work. If you win the bid, we hand off into your certified payroll setup.
Common questions
Answers to the questions contractors ask most often before engaging CPG for prevailing wage assessments.
How long does an assessment take?
Most assessments wrap in three to five business days, depending on project complexity and trade count. Expedited turnaround is available for time-sensitive bids when the bid window is tight.
+
Can you assess a project after the bid has already been submitted?
Yes. Pre-award assessments are most valuable, but post-bid pre-award reviews can still catch issues before the contract is signed. If the bid has already been awarded, the work moves into compliance monitoring rather than assessment.
+
Do I need an assessment if I've worked on similar projects before?
Probably yes. DIR wage determinations update throughout the year. Classifications can shift based on the specific work scope of a project. The assumption that same project type, same numbers is one of the most common ways experienced contractors get caught off guard at audit.
+
What if I'm bidding multiple projects at once?
Each project needs its own assessment because the determination, location, and trade mix vary. We can run multiple assessments in parallel within the same engagement. Pricing stays hourly, scoped per project.
+