Feasibility Studies for PLAs-Service Agreement

The University at Buffalo is seeking Statements of Qualifications (SOQs) to provide economic feasibility studies for project labor agreement services for several projects more than $8,000,000 plus contingency in construction budget planned to be initiated in the next three (3) years. A project labor agreement (PLA) is a pre-hire collective bargaining between a Consultant and a bona fide building and construction trade labor organization establishing the labor organization as the collective bargaining representative for all persons who will perform work on a public work project, and which provides that only Contractors and Subcontractors who sign a pre-negotiated agreement with the labor organization can perform project work. (New York State Labor Law Section 222). Sections 370 and 376 of the Education Law require Project Labor Agreements (PLAs), pursuant to an economic feasibility study consistent with the process established in State Labor Law (Section 222), for all large-scale construction projects. Large-scale construction projects are defined as projects with an estimated construction cost of $10 million or more. The intent of the economic feasibility analysis is to review the construction aspects of a particular project and the conditions under which the project will be constructed to determine if the implementation of the PLA would satisfy the requirements of Section 222 (2) (a) of the New York State Labor Law, including considerations of schedule, cost and quality of construction. A PLA on a construction contract or contracts for such large-scale construction projects may be required if a study shows that the PLA would:

• Result in the best work at the lowest possible price.
• Prevent favoritism, fraud and corruption.
• Reduce project delays by incorporating an aggressive schedule requiring a well-organized and skilled labor force committed to the project in sufficient numbers; Or
• Prevent labor unrest by effectively eliminating project delays associated with trade jurisdictional disputes or grievances.