SERVICE 01
Job Costing & Project Accounting
Cost tracking at the project level — labor, materials, subcontractors, and overhead allocated clearly. Actual-vs-estimated reporting for every active job, every month.
$2,500 USD / month
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SERVICE 03 · DEBITWISE
Public Works Compliance Without the Weekly Scramble
Certified payroll reports prepared on schedule, wage rates verified against applicable determinations, and compliance records maintained — so an audit or investigation doesn't turn into an emergency.
THE PROMISE
Compliance That Runs on Schedule, Not on Panic.
Prevailing wage work carries documentation requirements that don't pause between projects. Weekly certifications, wage rate verification, apprenticeship ratio tracking, fringe benefit compliance — each one a potential liability if it slips or gets handled incorrectly.
With Debitwise handling your certified payroll and compliance documentation, those requirements get met on time, consistently, every week — without your team carrying the administrative weight of keeping up with them. And when an audit or investigation notice arrives, the records are already in order.
WHAT YOU'LL HAVE
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Weekly Certified Payroll Reports
Prepared each week from your payroll data, verified against the applicable prevailing wage schedule, and submitted on the required timeline for each project.
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Wage Rate Verification
Each worker's pay checked against the applicable wage determination for their classification — so underpayment issues surface before they become violations, not after.
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Audit-Ready Records, Maintained
Apprenticeship ratios, fringe benefit compliance, and certification history kept organized and accessible — ready for any agency review at any point in the project lifecycle.
THE CHALLENGE
Prevailing Wage Work Has Compliance Demands Most Payroll Systems Weren't Built For
Wage Determinations Change and Vary by Project
Each government-funded project comes with its own wage determination — and those rates differ by trade, classification, and jurisdiction. Tracking which rate applies to which worker on which job, week after week, is more involved than it looks from the outside.
Late or Incorrect Certifications Create Real Exposure
Missing a weekly certification deadline or submitting one with errors isn't a minor paperwork issue. It can trigger withholding of contract payments, formal investigations, and in serious cases, debarment from future public works contracts.
Apprenticeship Ratios Are Easy to Let Slip
Ratio requirements for apprentices to journeyworkers need to be maintained across each project — not just at a company level. Without active tracking, ratios drift without anyone noticing until a compliance review surfaces the gap.
Contractors performing public works aren't dealing with a niche problem — these requirements apply broadly and enforcement has become more consistent over time. The firms that manage it well treat compliance as an ongoing operational function, not something to scramble through before a deadline.
THE APPROACH
Compliance Built Into the Weekly Payroll Cycle, Not Bolted On After.
Debitwise integrates certified payroll preparation into your regular payroll process — so it runs on the same schedule your workers get paid, not as a separate task that has to be chased down afterward. Each week, we take your payroll data, verify it against the applicable wage determinations, and prepare the certifications required for each active project.
Apprenticeship ratios are tracked on an ongoing basis, not reviewed retrospectively. Fringe benefit compliance is checked against what each wage determination requires — including how benefits are calculated and documented for compliance purposes.
The records we maintain are organized for retrieval — not archived in a way that makes them difficult to locate if an agency requests documentation from a project that closed eighteen months ago.
WHAT WE HANDLE
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Wage Rate Verification
Each worker's classification and pay checked against the current wage determination for the project — every pay period, without exception.
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Weekly Certification Preparation
Certified payroll reports prepared, reviewed, and submitted on the required schedule for each project — no chasing, no last-minute assembly.
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Apprenticeship Ratio Tracking
Ratios monitored week to week across each project — with early notice when headcount changes put a ratio at risk before a reporting period closes.
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Records Maintained for Audit
Complete compliance history for each project organized and retained — accessible quickly when an agency inquiry arrives, whether the project is active or closed.
THE EXPERIENCE
How the Weekly Cycle Works in Practice
01
Project Onboarding
Each new public works project gets set up with its applicable wage determination, project details, and submission requirements before the first payroll period. No scrambling to locate the right documents mid-project.
02
Weekly Payroll Data
You provide payroll data through an agreed process — we handle the rest. Wage verification, certification preparation, ratio checks, and fringe benefit compliance all happen without your team needing to manage the details.
03
Certifications Submitted
Reports prepared, reviewed, and submitted on time for each project. You receive confirmation that the week's certifications are filed — not a request for you to handle it before a deadline.
04
Records Kept Current
Compliance history updated as each week closes. If an issue surfaces — a classification discrepancy, a ratio concern — we flag it before it compounds rather than letting it sit until someone asks.
INVESTMENT
Monthly, Flat. Compliance Running Every Week.
Contractor Compliance & Certified Payroll
$1,400
USD / Month
A flat monthly fee that covers the full certification and compliance cycle — regardless of how many weeks fall in the month. If your project count changes materially or you add projects in new jurisdictions with different requirements, we'll have a straightforward conversation about scope.
The alternative — a compliance violation, a payment withholding, or a debarment proceeding — carries costs and disruption that dwarf what proper documentation management requires.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
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Weekly certified payroll reports — prepared from your payroll data and submitted on schedule for each active public works project
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Prevailing wage verification — each worker's pay checked against the applicable wage schedule for their trade and classification, every period
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Apprenticeship ratio monitoring — ratios tracked across each project on an ongoing basis, with advance notice when adjustments may be needed
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Fringe benefit compliance — benefit contributions verified against wage determination requirements and documented correctly for each project
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Compliance record maintenance — full certification history for each project organized and retained in a format that's retrievable quickly
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Audit and investigation support — records prepared and organized to respond to agency requests without disrupting ongoing project operations
HOW IT HOLDS UP
What Makes the Compliance Work Reliable
THE VERIFICATION STANDARD
Wage verification isn't a spot check — it's applied to every worker on every project every week. Classification discrepancies, overtime calculation errors, and fringe shortfalls get caught before a certification is filed rather than surfacing in an audit response.
That's a meaningfully different standard than checking whether the numbers look roughly right before submitting.
GETTING STARTED
Setup for the first active project typically takes one to two weeks — we review the contract, locate the applicable wage determination, and establish the weekly data handoff process with your payroll contact.
Once the first project is running, adding subsequent public works projects to the engagement is straightforward.
WHO THIS SERVES BEST
Contractors performing work on government-funded or prevailing-wage projects — federal, state, or municipal — where certified payroll submission and wage compliance are contractual and legal requirements.
Particularly relevant for general contractors and subcontractors who are newer to public works and building the compliance infrastructure for the first time.
OUR COMMITMENT
Certifications Filed on Time. Records Ready When Asked For.
We treat the weekly submission deadline as non-negotiable. If something in your payroll data creates a question — a classification that looks off, a rate that doesn't match the determination — we surface it before filing, not after. The goal is certifications that are correct, not just submitted.
Before we take on a new engagement, we review your current projects and discuss what the setup process looks like. If there are existing compliance gaps from prior periods, we'll be clear about what we're taking on and what may need to be addressed before moving forward with ongoing work.
BUILT-IN ASSURANCES
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Month-to-month engagement. No long-term contract required. The relationship continues because the work is being done well, not because of a signed term commitment.
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Initial project review at no charge. We'll go through your active public works projects and discuss what the engagement looks like before anything is agreed to.
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Your compliance records stay with you. All certifications, verification records, and compliance history belong to you — organized for transfer at any time.
NEXT STEPS
How to Get Compliance Running Properly
01
Describe Your Projects
Use the contact form on our home page. Tell us which public works projects you're currently running — the type of work, the funding source if known, and whether you have an existing certified payroll process or are starting from scratch.
02
We'll Review and Follow Up
Within one business day, we'll respond and set up a time to go through your projects in more detail. We'll look at the applicable wage determinations together and walk through what the weekly process would look like for your situation.
03
Setup and First Submission
Once engaged, we set up each active project and agree on the data handoff process with your payroll contact. The first certification cycle typically takes slightly longer — subsequent weeks run on a predictable, low-friction schedule.
OTHER SERVICES
Explore What Else Debitwise Handles
SERVICE 02
Percentage-of-Completion Reporting
Revenue and costs recognized proportionally to physical project progress — compliant financial statements for long-duration contracts, ready for lenders and bonding companies.
$3,200 USD
View Service →GET STARTED
Ready to Stop Managing Compliance Week to Week?
Tell us about your public works projects and where the documentation gets difficult. We'll respond within one business day and walk through what a proper setup looks like for your situation.
Talk to Us About Certified Payroll