LOC News
Oregon Prevailing Wage Expansion to Satellite Locations, Effective July 1, 2026
The Oregon Bureau of Labor & Industry (BOLI) has promulgated new Administrative Rules to implement HB 2688, controversial 2025 legislation that expanded Oregon prevailing wage benefits to employees at off-site “Satellite Locations” manufacturing “Bespoke” elements of a public works project. The rules go into effect on July 1.
Most notable for local governments is a late addition to the rules that requires public agencies to include in public works contracts, “…a list of work required by the contract that reasonably could be considered to be performed on a system or component described as “Bespoke.” Prior to the change, the rules allowed flexibility for a public agency to work with bidders in a more collaborative way to identify potentially “Bespoke” elements of a project that would need to be manufactured off-site at a “Satellite Location.”
Defining “Bespoke” in the context of public works proved to be a challenge, and BOLI landed on a series of questions in the new rules that will lead a public contracting agency to determine what is NOT “Bespoke.” A new “Bespoke” definition is also included in the rules, but leaves questions related to deciphering the difference between products that could be considered custom, but not “Bespoke.”
BOLI added language requested by the LOC to make clear that bonding requirements for “Satellite Locations” only apply when that “Satellite Location” is manufacturing a “Bespoke” element of a public works project.
Contact: Greg Miller, Lobbyist – gmiller@orcities.org
Last Updated 6/26/26