The NMA: A Tool to Help Signatory Contractors Compete (LISTEN/WATCH THE CONVERSATION HERE)
For signatory contractors, competitiveness often comes down to more than the wage rate. Work schedules, manpower availability, productivity, labor stability, and the ability to meet an owner’s schedule can all determine whether a contractor wins the work—and performs it profitably.
That was the focus of a recent discussion on the FCA YouTube Channel featuring FCA CEO Anthony “Tony” Darkangelo and Mike Dorsey, COO of The Association of Union Constructors (TAUC) and the National Maintenance Agreements Policy Committee (NMAPC).
Their discussion explored how contractors can use the National Maintenance Agreement (NMA) as another tool in their toolbox to pursue work and compete more effectively in markets where provisions of a traditional local agreement may create challenges.
The NMA Is Bigger Than Maintenance
Despite its name, contractors should not assume the National Maintenance Agreement is limited to traditional maintenance work.
The NMA is being used on a significant scale. NMAPC information presented during the discussion shows more than 135 million work hours in 2024–2025, an average of approximately 1,800 signatory contractors, and more than 12,000 approved Site Extension Requests (SERs).
For IUPAT signatory contractors, the opportunity is particularly relevant. In 2025, Painters & Allied Trades accounted for approximately 1.19 million NMA work hours.
The important question for contractors, therefore, is not simply:
“What is the NMA?”
It is:
“Could the NMA help us compete for work that is difficult to perform competitively under our traditional local agreement?”
Where Can the Competitive Advantage Come From?
The NMA generally uses the applicable local craft wage rates and fringe benefits for the area where the work is performed.
That means its potential competitive value is not necessarily about lowering wages or benefits. Instead, contractors should look at the work rules surrounding those costs.
One example is scheduling.
Under the NMA, a four-ten schedule can provide 10 hours of work for 10 hours of straight-time pay, with Friday available as an optional make-up day under the agreement’s provisions.
Depending on the project and the contractor’s local agreement, provisions such as these can affect labor efficiency, overtime exposure, scheduling flexibility, and ultimately the contractor’s total installed cost.
That distinction matters.
A signatory contractor does not necessarily become more competitive by finding cheaper labor. Sometimes the opportunity is to use the same skilled union workforce under an agreement structured differently for the needs of the project.
Manpower Can Be Part of the Equation
Another important consideration is access to labor.
The NMA requires employers to follow the hiring procedures applicable in the area where the work is performed. However, if the local union cannot provide the requested manpower within 48 hours, excluding weekends and holidays, the employer can obtain employees from another source.
The agreement also provides that the employer determines employee competency, crew size, and when and whom to lay off.
For contractors trying to meet aggressive owner schedules or working in markets with workforce shortages, understanding these provisions can be important when evaluating whether an NMA project makes business sense.
Labor Stability Can Have Value to Owners
Contractors should also consider the NMA from the owner’s perspective.
Lockouts and work stoppages are prohibited under the NMA, with financial penalties established for violations.
For an owner facing a shutdown, turnaround, expansion, or other schedule-sensitive project, labor stability can have significant value.
A contractor who understands how the NMA works may therefore be able to discuss more than labor cost when talking with an owner. The conversation can include schedule certainty, workforce availability, productivity, continuity of work, and total installed cost.
The Site Extension Request: An Important First Step
One of the most important things contractors need to understand about using the NMA is the Site Extension Request (SER).
The NMA is a stand-alone agreement, and employers must file a Site Extension Request for each location where they intend to perform work under the NMAPC program. Owners are also encouraged to regularly review SER activity at their sites to ensure contractor compliance.
For a contractor, that means the SER should be part of the conversation before the project begins—and ideally while evaluating and bidding the opportunity.
For first-time NMA users, the process includes becoming signatory to the NMA, requesting the SER, and holding the required pre-job conference. Existing NMA contractors still need to request an SER and hold the pre-job conference for the applicable work.
Why does this matter for competitiveness?
If a contractor identifies a project where the NMA’s provisions could provide greater scheduling, manpower, or work-rule flexibility than the traditional local agreement, the contractor should investigate whether the NMA can be utilized before building its labor assumptions into the bid.
The SER is therefore more than an administrative step. It is part of the contractor’s planning process for determining whether the NMA can be utilized at a particular location.
Know the Requirements Before You Start
Obtaining the SER is only part of properly utilizing the agreement.
All employers are required to conduct a pre-job conference before commencing work. Employers must also provide written work assignments within 10 days of holding the pre-job conference and assign work to the appropriate craft or crafts.
Contractors also need to pay close attention to subcontracting. Under the NMA, subcontracted work at any tier must be performed under the NMA or another agreement approved as compatible by the NMAPC.
There are also ongoing administrative requirements. Employers must report NMA work hours quarterly for each craft at each location, and the program includes an annual administrative fee per employer, per craft.
Understanding these requirements before estimating and contracting the project is critical. The goal is not simply to obtain an SER, but to understand how the entire agreement applies to the work.
Think of the NMA as Another Tool in the Toolbox
The biggest takeaway from the FCA discussion is not that the NMA is appropriate for every contractor or every project.
It is that signatory contractors should understand the option before deciding they cannot compete for a project.
When an opportunity arises, contractors should look beyond the hourly wage and compare the complete labor model:
What does the local agreement require? What would the NMA allow? How would those differences affect scheduling, overtime, manpower, supervision, productivity, labor stability, and total installed cost?
And importantly:
Could a Site Extension Request provide a path to using the NMA for this opportunity?
That analysis may reveal opportunities that would otherwise be overlooked.
For FCA contractors, understanding agreements such as the NMA is part of understanding the business side of being a signatory contractor. The objective is not simply to work under an agreement—it is to understand the agreements available and determine how they can be used responsibly to pursue more work, improve competitiveness, and grow market share.
Don’t wait until after the job is awarded to ask whether the NMA could have helped you compete. Understand the agreement, investigate the SER process early, and make the NMA part of your evaluation when pursuing the right opportunities.
