BOSTON JOBS, LIVING WAGE, AND

PREVAILING WAGE ORDINANCE

NOTICE TO VENDORS

Published March 2026

WAGE-1

FY 2027

Any City of Boston department that awards a service contract is required to provide an explanation of the requirements of the Boston Jobs, Living Wage, and Prevailing Wage Ordinance (“the Ordinance”). Under the Ordinance, a City department may award either a Covered Service Contract or Covered Building Service Contract.

Depending on the contract, you may be either a Covered Vendor or a Covered Building Service Vendor:

● Covered Service Contract: any contract of at least twenty-five thousand ($25,000.00) dollars or more awarded to a vendor by the City for the furnishing of services to or for the City.

o Covered Vendor: any for-profit employer or any not-for-profit employer that employs at least twenty-five (25) FTE's company-wide and that has been awarded a service contract or service subcontract of $25,000 or more from the City of Boston.

● Covered Building Service Contract: a contract or subcontract to provide building services to the City of Boston (regardless of contract size or number of employees). This work includes work performed in connection with the cleaning and maintenance of buildings and security guard services.

o Covered Building Service Vendor: an employer providing building services as contemplated under the Ordinance to the City of Boston through a contract or subcontract (regardless of contract size or number of employees).

If you are a Covered Vendor, you are required to pay employees covered by the contract no less than the living wage amount of $19.36 per hour starting July 1, 2026 (regardless of geographic location); this amount is subject to change each July.

If you are a Covered Building Service Vendor, you are required to pay employees covered by the contract no less than standard compensation. The wage schedule to determine standard compensation will be provided to you by the City department awarding the contract; this amount will be updated on the anniversary of the contract execution.

Covered Vendors and Covered Building Service Vendors have other obligations under the Ordinance, which include:

● the completion of the Boston Jobs, Living Wage, and Prevailing Wage Ordinance Vendor Agreement (Form

Wage-2),

● the completion of quarterly reports (Form Wage-9),

● the completion of the First Source Hiring Agreement (Form Wage-10),

● the maintenance and reporting of payroll records and site visits,

● providing information to employees regarding possible eligibility for the State and/or

Federal Earned Income Tax Credit (https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/earned-income-tax-credit-eitc); and

● other obligations as required by the Ordinance.

You can find the Ordinance and requirements for Covered Vendors and Covered Building Service Vendors in the City Municipal Code and at boston.gov/living-wage. To request a hard copy of the Ordinance, please reach out to the Office of Labor Compliance and Worker Protections by calling (617) 918-5236 or emailing workers@boston.gov.

Covered Service Vendors or Covered Building Service Vendors shall forward a copy of the Ordinance requirements to any subcontractors.

The Office of Labor Compliance and Worker Protections of the Worker Empowerment Cabinet is the City’s Designated Department responsible for the overall implementation, compliance, and enforcement of the Ordinance. The Contracting Department is the agency awarding the contract.

Any questions concerning the Ordinance, regulations, or the current living wage hourly rate should be referred to the Office of Labor Compliance and Worker Protections. The Office of Labor Compliance and Worker Protections is located at 43 Hawkins Street, Boston, MA 02114 and can be reached at (617) 918-5236.

https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/boston/latest/boston_ma/0-0-0-15515 https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/boston/latest/boston_ma/0-0-0-15554#JD_24-1 http://boston.gov/living-wage