PLAs Increase Project Costs, Which Means Higher Taxes.

PLAs severely limit bid competition on taxpayer funded projects. Numerous studies have found that this artificially limited competition ads between 12 and 20 percent to the cost of public construction projects. These avoidable and unnecessary costs mean one thing - higher taxes!

PLAs Put Out-of-State Union Bosses First and Prince William Workers Last

PLAs put out-of-state union bosses in charge of who gets to work on Prince William construction projects. 95% of Virginian construction workers have chosen not to join a union. PLAs allow unions to discriminate against Virginia workers in favor of out-of-state workers with seniority in the union.

PLA Costs Crowd Out Other Important Infrastructure Projects

The added costs of PLAs place additional strain on public budgets, crowding out other important projects. This means you receive fewer public works. For example, the County might be able to build 4 new schools without a PLA, but only two schools with a PLA.

PLAs Send Prince William Tax Dollars Out-of-State

PLAs send Prince William tax dollars to out-of-state construction firms that have relationships with construction unions. What’s worse, local firms are excluded from participating on Prince William construction projects that are funded by their own tax dollars.

PLAs Increase the Risk of Delays and Cost Overruns

PLAs add delay-inducing complexity and bureaucracy to construction projects, further increasing the likelihood of cost overruns. PLAs exist only when politicians mandate them as payback for political support. They are not a normal part of the construction process and, as such, impede the ability of most contractors to efficiently and effectively deliver taxpayer-funded infrastructure.

PLAs Discriminate Against Minority - and Woman -Owned Firms

PLAs exclude nearly all small, minority-, and woman-owned construction firms. This is why the National Black Chamber of Commerce has been an outspoken critic of mandatory PLAs.