The Challenge
As Sciens acquired new companies, each division maintained its own certified payroll processes and systems. This created several critical challenges that threatened both operational efficiency and compliance:
Inconsistent Compliance Across Divisions
Without standardized processes, each division operated independently with different approaches to certified payroll reporting. This created gaps in compliance oversight and made it difficult to ensure enterprise-wide adherence to prevailing wage regulations.
Manual Rate Management Overwhelm
Mi Yun Kim, who manages payroll systems for Sciens, faced a particularly complex challenge: employees frequently worked across multiple projects with different prevailing wage rates based on location and trade classification. "When you have one employee going to five different jobs in one week, and each job pays a different rate based on county and state, manually tracking that becomes overwhelming," Kim explained.
Multi-Jurisdictional Complexity
With operations spanning 10 states, Sciens had to navigate diverse reporting requirements—from New Jersey Wage HUB requirements to California-specific formats. Each jurisdiction had its own certified payroll report format and compliance standards.
System Fragmentation
During transition periods, divisions operated on different payroll systems, making it nearly impossible to maintain consistency or gain visibility across the organization. This fragmentation increased the risk of errors and compliance violations.
High-Stakes Consequences
The potential consequences of non-compliance were severe: debarment from government projects, Department of Labor fines, and substantial back wage payments. With the organization's growth strategy dependent on public works projects, Sciens needed a solution that could handle complexity while providing flexibility for divisions to maintain their unique business requirements.
The Solution
Because of Mi Yun Kim's previous positive experience with Points North at another company, Sciens selected Points North for its Workday integration and specialized capabilities.
Automated Rate Management
The rate management capability proved to be the decisive factor. Points North automatically identifies the correct prevailing wage rate based on project location, trade classification, and applicable wage determinations, then compares it to the employee's base rate and pays whichever is higher.
"Rate management is huge," Kim emphasized. "When you have one employee going to five different jobs in one week, and each job pays a different rate based on county and state, manually tracking that becomes overwhelming. Points North handles this automatically. That alone is a game changer."
Multi-Jurisdictional Reporting
With operations spanning 10 states, Sciens needed a solution that could handle diverse reporting requirements. Points North supports over 100 different federal, state, and municipal certified payroll report formats.
"Points North was able to meet all of the different reporting requirements across all of the jurisdictions we're in," Kim confirmed. "Whether it's New Jersey Wage HUB requirements or California-specific formats, the system handles it."
Seamless Workday Integration
The solution integrated directly with Sciens' Workday platform, creating an automated workflow where payroll information transfers into the Points North system every pay period. Employee data and paycheck values flow automatically onto prevailing wage reports, eliminating manual data gathering and entry.
Built-in Compliance Protection
The system includes compliance safeguards that prevent payroll processors from making errors that could result in violations. When a division attempted to pay an employee less than their stated base rate (even though it was higher than the prevailing wage rate), Points North's system flagged the issue.
"[The Points North implementation team] explained that's built into the system," Kim said. "Thank goodness, because we can't have divisions making up their own minds about who gets paid what. That compliance protection is critical."
Implementation Approach
Kim was candid about the implementation process, which faced complexities common to large-scale enterprise integrations. The key lessons learned included the importance of thorough testing before going live, understanding integration timing to prevent data conflicts, planning for division-specific customization, and leveraging Points North's expert support.
"The service and responsiveness from the Points North team made the difference in getting us to success." Mi Yun Kim, Payroll Systems Manager
The Results
Today, Sciens has four divisions using Points North, with plans to expand to additional divisions as they transition onto Workday.
- The automated rate management eliminates hours of manual wage calculations for employees working across multiple projects and jurisdictions. No more spreadsheets, no more manual tracking—the system handles the complexity automatically.
- Built-in compliance rules and wage determination updates protect against costly violations. Sciens can pursue government contracts knowing their certified payroll reporting meets federal, state, and municipal requirements.
- Timely certified payroll reporting helps ensure customers can pay invoices without delay. No more payment holds due to compliance issues or late reporting.
- The solution supports Sciens' growth strategy, handling new acquisitions without requiring each division to maintain separate certified payroll systems. Kim is already planning to bring additional divisions onto Points North, including a recently acquired company with 80 employees who exclusively work on prevailing wage projects.
- "I want everybody on Points North and nobody on a legacy system," Kim explained. "That way we're standardized and we're all doing the same thing." This standardization simplifies audit processes, compliance verification, and enterprise-wide reporting.
- "It's been a good relationship," Kim reflected. "The Points North team has been great to work with over the years. They really care about getting it right."
Ready to Standardize Your Multi-Division Compliance?
See how Sciens Building Solutions automated prevailing wage compliance across multiple companies and states. Eliminate manual rate management, protect against violations, and scale your operations with Points North's Workday integration.
"If rate management is a struggle you're having, then make sure you include that as part of your implementation. It's the biggest value Points North provides." —Mi Yun Kim, Payroll Systems Manager
