The Davis-Bacon Act

Applicability to Supply Contract at Defense Depot, Tracy, California Gao ID: HRD-89-13 January 24, 1989

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed whether the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) complied with the Davis-Bacon Act in awarding a $4.2-million contract in August 1986 for the supply and installation of a material handling system at the Defense Depot in Tracy, California.

GAO found that: (1) DLA considered the contract to be a supply contract, rather than a construction contract, and used Walsh-Healey Act labor standards and wage-rate provisions, rather than Davis-Bacon standards; (2) there was no evidence that DLA abused its discretion in applying the Walsh-Healey Act; and (3) the Department of Labor questioned whether or not the Davis-Bacon Act applied to the contract, but did not resolve the matter with DLA and did not issue a Davis-Bacon wage determination for the contract.



The Justia Government Accountability Office site republishes public reports retrieved from the U.S. GAO These reports should not be considered official, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Justia.