Hey crew,

Big warehouses are back in demand, Maryland Judge in political and environment beef and what you should know about prevailing wage in federal contracts.

Running a poll: Dunkin vs Starbucks (if you’re in the NY, NJ, MA, CT, we know your answer)

Big warehouses are making a comeback. Demand for U.S. warehouses over 500,000 square feet rebounded hard last year, with 146 leases signed — that's up over 31% from 2024. Companies are rushing to secure massive distribution centers as e-commerce and supply chain demands grow. This surge is creating serious opportunities for contractors who can handle large-scale industrial projects.

Takeaway: If you're not already chasing warehouse work, now's the time to start building relationships with industrial developers and logistics companies.

A federal judge issued a 14-day restraining order stopping construction on an 830,000 SF warehouse conversion in Williamsport, MD that DHS purchased for $102.4M to house 1,500 ICE detainees. The ruling cited environmental review failures and infrastructure concerns. This is part of ICE's massive $38.3B detention network buildout spanning 10+ properties across six states — representing over $900M in federal property acquisitions.

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If you're still comparing subcontractor bids in Excel, you're almost guaranteed to miss scope gaps, exclusions, and hidden costs that turn into change orders later. The fix is simple: standardize your RFQ so every sub bids the same scope, track every exclusion line by line, and add plug numbers for anything missing before you compare totals. The lowest bid is almost never the best bid — one contractor found a 15% price gap disappeared completely after leveling revealed $47K in missing scope from the "cheapest" sub. Stop picking the lowest number and start picking the best value.

Read the full breakdown → Archdesk

If you're working on a federal project, prevailing wages aren't optional — they're the law. Under the Davis-Bacon Act, you're required to pay workers the locally established wage rate for their specific trade classification on any federally funded construction project over $2,000.

Here's where contractors get burned: the wage determination must be incorporated into your contract before you bid, and you must pay workers based on their actual job duties — not just whatever classification is convenient.

Misclassifying workers to save money is one of the fastest ways to land yourself in hot water with the Department of Labor. ← ($429K recovered for 12 contractors in New Jersey)

Stanley Uhlig also stresses the importance of keeping clean, accurate certified payroll records — submitted weekly — because audits happen, and sloppy paperwork can cost you far more than the wages themselves.

Bottom line: know your wage determinations, classify correctly, and document everything.