CUNY Advanced Science Research Center
Overview
Higher Education & Public Facilities
In 2011, A.L. Consulting Group was retained by Skanska USA Building to manage Project Labor Agreement (PLA) compliance on a $600 million CUNY Advanced Science Research Center project, administered by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY).
One of the key challenges was educating non-union SMB subcontractors on the requirements, risks, and advantages of transitioning to union status to participate in the project. A targeted technical assistance initiative was developed to guide interested firms through the PLA compliance process, demystifying paperwork, outlining union transition steps, and clearly communicating prevailing wage obligations.
The initiative successfully facilitated the transition of approximately five non-union SMB firms to union-compliant subcontractors, strengthening the broader SMB participation pipeline and improving subcontractor understanding of prevailing wage compliance for future public projects of similar scale.
- Client :
Skanska USA Building - Industry :
Higher Education & Public Facilities - Services :
SMB Compliance Monitoring · Project Labor Agreement · Technical Assistance - Timeline :
2011 · DASNY $600M Project
Our Approach
Precision strategy and hands-on execution; from challenge to outcome.
Strategy
We developed a targeted, step-by-step technical assistance program that walked non-union SMB firms through the full PLA compliance process from paperwork requirements to union transition protocols, eliminating barriers to participation on a $600M public project.
Results
Five non-union SMB firms successfully achieved union compliance and secured participation on the CUNY project. The initiative produced measurable gains in subcontractor awareness of prevailing wage risks, supplemental benefit obligations, and long-term PLA requirements.
The ALC Difference
We navigated the complexities of Project Labor Agreement compliance guiding non-union SMB firms through a successful transition to union-compliant subcontractor status.
Our structured technical assistance program eliminated participation barriers equipping firms with the knowledge and documentation needed to compete on a $600M public project.
We assessed each firm's operational readiness before project entry; ensuring only qualified, capable subcontractors were brought onto the CUNY project.
Our documentation and monitoring protocols delivered a clean compliance record protecting Skanska USA from agency enforcement actions throughout the project lifecycle.
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