You just won a $2M federal construction project with an 18% profit margin around $360K. Six months in, you're barely breaking even. By close, you've lost $150K. What happened? Prevailing wage requirements. And you didn't account for the real costs. Contractors see the higher wage rates and adjust their labor costs, assuming they're covered. But prevailing wage requirements multiply your costs through fringe benefits, payroll taxes, insurance premiums, and administrative overh