The 2013 Wisconsin Act 20 created a mandatory pre-bid contractor certification program and required that all projects over $185,000 (increased to $300,000) are let through Single Prime Bidding and Contracting. All potential bidders must become certified by the Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) prior to submitting bids. All bids received from contractors who are not certified will be rejected. Please access the DFD Contractor Certification web page to apply for certification. Please access the DFD Single Prime Bidding and Contracting web page for more information about Single Prime.
The 2017 Wisconsin Act 237 made numerous changes to project thresholds and bidding requirements for state construction projects. Effective April 5, 2018, the threshold for small projects and projects requiring single prime bidding and contracting, have increased to $300,000. In addition, effective July 1, 2018, this law creates an exception to single prime contracting for certain construction projects. Under the new law, if 85% or more of the estimated construction cost of a project could be completed by a single trade MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, or fire protection) contractor, the DOA may bid and contract all work for that construction project directly to a single trade MEP contractor. The changes for single trade contracting take effect for projects advertised for bid after July 1, 2018.
In certain instances, these threshold increases may impact contractor certification levels. Contractors who are currently certified for $300,000 or more in any division of work may bid on small projects up to the new threshold of $300,000. Contractors who are currently certified under $300,000 may only bid on a project up to their current certification level. Beginning July 1, 2018, single trade MEP contractors may bid all work on single trade projects up to their current division of work certification level for that trade. These changes will be automatically updated on WisBuild certification records and should not require any action by the contractor. If you have any questions, please email us at: dfdcertification@wisconsin.gov.
Please note, 2015 Wisconsin Act 55 repealed Wisconsin's prevailing wage laws on state building projects, effective September 23, 2017. This change does not affect the Federal Davis Bacon Act requirements.
Please be aware that 2017 Wisconsin Act 59 made changes to the applicability of the sale/use tax exemption under Wis. Stat. 77.54(9m) to state construction projects for the University of Wisconsin System and Extension. Please direct questions to the Department of Revenue.