Certified payroll is rebuilt by hand every week
Hours, classifications, and fringe amounts are re-keyed from timekeeping and payroll into WH-347 or state forms, and subcontractor reports arrive late or incomplete.
Public work
Win the public contract without drowning in the paperwork that comes with it.
Federal, state, and municipal awards add certified payroll, wage rules, agency reporting, and audit trails on top of the job itself. SBA connects the systems you already run so that paperwork is produced as the work happens, not rebuilt the week it is due.
Teams usually arrive here searching for:
government contractor compliance software constructionpublic works contractor softwarefederal construction contract complianceprevailing wage compliance automation
The operating symptoms
What this problem looks like before automation.
The agency asks for status the books cannot show yet
Cost, schedule, and receivables are only clear after month-end close, so progress reports are assembled from memory and spreadsheets.
One job means three portals and the same data typed three times
Agency platforms, the prime contractor portal, and your own accounting system each need the same records in a different format.
The SBA automation map
Build the system in four layers.
The implementation starts with reliable inputs and business rules, then automates routine actions while routing exceptions for review.
01
Inputs Connect the job and payroll records
Pull project, task order, crew, classification, hours, wage determination, subcontractor, and document data from the tools already in use.
02
Rules Encode the contract requirements
Map required forms, wage rates, submission deadlines, document expirations, and the reviewer for each project and agency.
03
Actions Produce the paperwork as the work happens
Assemble certified payroll drafts, request missing subcontractor reports, prepare progress summaries, and send records to the platforms that need them.
04
Exceptions Flag compliance risk before it is filed
Surface wage or classification mismatches, missing weeks, expiring documents, late subs, and overdue submissions for human review.
Human approvalThe decision remains accountable.
Your payroll, compliance, and project leaders review and sign every certified payroll, agency submission, and wage determination. Automation prepares the evidence and the deadlines; legal and compliance decisions stay with qualified people.
What gets built
A scoped operating system for this workflow.
- Public-work requirements map by contract
- Certified payroll preparation workflow
- Subcontractor report and document tracker
- Agency progress and cost summary
- Deadline and exception alerts
How the pilot is measured
Evidence before expansion.
- Hours spent preparing certified payroll each week
- Late or missing subcontractor reports
- Compliance exceptions caught before submission
- Days to produce an agency progress report
- Duplicate data entry across portals
Work with the stack you have
Integrate before you replace.
The assessment checks access, data quality, ownership, and safe write-back options across your current tools.
Payroll and timekeepingQuickBooks, Sage, or ERPAgency and prime contractor portalsProcore or your PM platformDocument storage and email
Common questions
Answers before you automate.
What does a public works contract add for a contractor?
Most public awards add prevailing wage rules, weekly certified payroll, subcontractor flow-down requirements, agency progress reporting, document retention, and audit exposure. Federal work often adds set-aside, bonding, and reporting rules on top of state requirements.
Can certified payroll be automated?
The preparation can. Hours, classifications, rates, and fringe data can be assembled from payroll and timekeeping into a draft report, and missing subcontractor reports can be requested automatically. A responsible person still reviews and signs the Statement of Compliance.
Do we need new software to bid government work?
Usually not. Most contractors can keep their current accounting, payroll, and project tools. The gap is the work between them: the re-keying, the chasing, and the deadline tracking. That is the layer SBA automates.
Does this cover state prevailing wage jobs as well as Davis-Bacon?
Yes. The workflow is built per contract, so federal Davis-Bacon jobs and state prevailing wage jobs, such as New York public work, each carry their own forms, rates, and deadlines.
Go deeper
Read the supporting guide Automate Davis-Bacon Certified Payroll
One workflow. One accountable pilot.
Show us how this process works today.
We will map the failure points, define the approval boundary, and tell you what should and should not be automated first.
Book a workflow assessment
Related listening · Scaling Legends
New York Prevailing Wage Law 2026: What the June 18 Off-Site Fabrication Expansion Means for Every Contractor Bidding Public Work in New York State
Episode summary
Deep dive on the expanded NY prevailing wage law taking effect June 18, 2026. Construction industry groups filed suit May 28 arguing the off-site fabrication expansion will devastate public construction in New York. This episode covers what the law requires, who it covers, the contractor lawsuit claims, how compliance works in practice, bid pricing adjustments, and the 7 steps every contractor must take before the effective date.
Starts muted when the player comes into view.
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