Bidding FAR 52.222-5: Secondary Work Sites and Off-Site Fabrication
Federal solicitations require trade contractors and general contractors to evaluate wage standards long before mobilization. When an agency includes the provision for Construction Wage Rate Requirements-Secondary Site of the Work, estimators must identify whether off-site prefabrication, staging yards, or assembly shops trigger federal wage determinations. Overlooking these requirements during estimating can expose a contractor to major wage discrepancies after award.
Defining Primary and Secondary Sites of Work
Under federal procurement regulations, the physical place or places where the construction called for in the contract will remain when completed is designated as the primary site of the work. This typically includes the building footprint, civil improvements, and permanent installations specified in the project plans.
A secondary site of the work is defined as any other site where a significant portion of the building or work is constructed, provided that two distinct conditions are met:
- The site is located in the United States.
- The site is established specifically for the performance of the contract or project.
Both conditions must exist simultaneously. As referenced in the basic FAR 52.222-6 Construction Wage Rate Requirements framework, if a facility meets this secondary site threshold, construction wage rates apply to covered laborers and mechanics performing work there.
Dedicated Support Yards and Fabrication Plants
Federal definitions extend the site of the work to certain auxiliary operations that support construction. Specifically, fabrication plants, mobile factories, batch plants, borrow pits, job headquarters, and tool yards are treated as part of the site if they satisfy two requirements:
- They are dedicated exclusively, or nearly so, to the performance of the federal contract or project.
- They are adjacent or virtually adjacent to either the primary site of the work or the secondary site of the work.
When these tests are met, construction activities at those auxiliary facilities are covered. This coverage includes the manufacturing or furnishing of materials, articles, supplies, or equipment on the site, as well as the transportation of materials and supplies between dedicated facilities and the work site. It also encompasses hauling portions of the building or work between a qualified secondary site and the permanent primary location.
When Off-Site Shops and Material Suppliers Are Excluded
Not every shop building components for a federal job falls under federal construction wage rates. The standard excludes permanent home offices, branch plant establishments, fabrication plants, or tool yards of a contractor or subcontractor whose locations and ongoing operations are determined wholly without regard to a particular federal contract or project.
Similarly, off-site operations of commercial or material suppliers are exempt if they were established by the supplier prior to the opening of bids and are not located on the project site. Even if an established commercial vendor or permanent trade shop dedicates its operations exclusively, or nearly so, to a specific contract for a period of time, that permanent facility is not considered part of the site of the work.
Mandatory Notifications Under FAR 52.222-5
When an agency solicitation contains the provision at 52.222-5 Construction Wage Rate Requirements-Secondary Site of the Work, prescribed under FAR 22.407(h), offerors have an explicit notification obligation. An offeror must notify the Government if it intends to perform contract work at any secondary site of the work meeting the regulatory definition.
Contractors often debate whether a temporary assembly yard or rented warehouse qualifies. The May 2014 provision makes clear that if an offeror is unsure whether a planned work site satisfies the criteria for a secondary site of the work, the offeror shall request an official determination from the Contracting Officer prior to submitting a final proposal.
Wage Determinations and the Bid Schedule Rule
A wage determination issued for the primary jobsite may not automatically apply to a secondary site, especially if the secondary location falls in a different county or geographic wage area. If the wage determination provided by the Government for the primary site is not applicable to the secondary site, the offeror must formally request an applicable wage determination from the Contracting Officer.
Estimators must handle this process early. Under paragraph (b)(2) of FAR 52.222-5, the due date for receipt of offers will not be extended as a result of an offeror's request for a wage determination for a secondary site. If a bidder waits until days before bid opening to ask for rates on a project-specific prefabrication yard, the agency will not push back the deadline, leaving the contractor to price labor risk without finalized prevailing wage figures.
Sources
Acquisition.GOV: FAR 52.222-5 Construction Wage Rate Requirements-Secondary Site of the Work
Acquisition.GOV: FAR 22.401 Definitions
Published October 31, 2026. No affiliate links on this page. Facts come from the sources linked above; check them for updates.