Colorado Quality Apprenticeship Training Act Of 2019

Procurement - construction bidding for public projects - apprenticeship utilization requirements - prevailing wage requirements. The general contractor for a public project that does not receive federal money, including an integrated project delivery contract, in the amount of $1 million or more, is required to submit, at the time the mechanical, electrical, or plumbing subcontractor is put under contract, documentation to the contracting agency that:

• Identifies the contractors or subcontractors that will be used for specified aspects of the public project; and
• Certifies that all firms identified participate in apprenticeship programs registered with the United states department of labor's employment and training administration or state apprenticeship councils recognized by the United States department of labor and have a proven record of graduating apprentices at specified rates.

The contracting agency is required to make the documentation available to the public on its website. After evaluating submitted bids, a contracting agency may waive the apprenticeship utilization requirements if there is substantial evidence that there were no responsive, eligible subcontractors available to fulfil the mechanical, electrical, or plumbing portions of the contract. A contracting agency is required make public all waivers and the specific rationale for granting the waiver. An apprenticeship program that does not satisfy the specified apprenticeship program requirements may petition the department of labor and employment for conditional approval under specified circumstances. The apprenticeship utilization requirements do not apply to the department of transportation.

Any contractor who is awarded a contract for a public project, including an integrated project delivery contract, by an agency of government for $500,000 or more, and any subcontractors working on the public project, are required to pay their employees a prevailing wage at weekly intervals and are required to comply with prevailing wage enforcement provisions. This requirement does not apply to contracts that include federal money and does not apply to the department of transportation; except that the department of transportation is required to pay employees performing work on public projects, regardless of the amount of funding source of the project, in accordance with the federal "Davis-Bacon Act".

Before awarding a contract for a public project, an agency of government is required to obtain the general prevailing rate of the regular, holiday, and overtime wages paid and the general prevailing payments on behalf of employees to lawful welfare, pension, vacation, apprentice training, and education funds in the state (wages) for each employee needed to execute the contract for the public project.

An agency of government is required to specify in the competitive solicitation for a public project and in the contract for such public project the general prevailing rate of the wages paid in the geographic locality for each employee needed to execute the contract. The contract is also required to include other specified information regarding the payment of wages. If the contractor or subcontractor fails to pay wages as are required by the contract, the contracting agency of government is not allowed to approve a warrant or demand for payment to the contractor until the contractor provides evidence that the wages have been paid.

The executive director of the department of personnel is required to determine the applicable prevailing wage for public projects and is required to use appropriate wage determinations issued by the United States department of labor in accordance with the federal "Davis-Bacon Act" to establish the prevailing wage rates for the applicable trades or occupation for the geographic locality of the public project.

Each contractor awarded a contract for a public project and each subcontractor who performs work on the public project is required to post in conspicuous places on the job site posters that contain the current prevailing rate of wages to execute the contract and the rights and remedies of any employee for nonpayment of any wages earned. The executive director of the department of personnel is required to provide the posters to contractors and subcontractors.

The executive director of the department of personnel is required to establish a separate apprenticeship contribution rate under the prevailing wage requirements.

Enforcement provisions, overseen by the department of labor and employment, are implemented for violations of the prevailing wage requirements. An employee or former employee of a contractor or subcontractor is allowed to bring a civil action for a violation of the prevailing wage requirements.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)