Guides
Build America, Buy America, explained plainly
Evergreen guidance on the 55% manufactured-products threshold, the iron & steel melt-and-pour rule and when a waiver applies, for teams bidding on federally funded infrastructure. Where a determination depends on your specific bill of materials or funding agency, we link the cited tool rather than stating a number that might not be yours.
HUD BABA requirements: what CDBG, HOME and public housing grantees must certify
HUD BABA requirements: which CDBG, HOME and public housing programmes are covered, the five-unit line that triggers BABA, and the small grants and de minimis waivers.
Read the guideBABA certification letter: what it must say, who signs and how long to keep it
What a BABA certification letter must include, who can sign it, how long to keep it, and the false-statement exposure if the claim is wrong. Checklist included.
De minimis waiver under BABA: the 5 percent and $1 million example
The BABA de minimis waiver: OMB's example allows non-compliant material up to 5 percent of applicable project costs, capped at $1 million. What it covers, what it does not, and how it differs from the 55 percent test.
BABA compliance for solar projects: modules, racking, inverters
BABA compliance for solar: steel racking must be all-US, while modules, inverters and trackers must exceed 55% US component cost. Classify each item and check the date that binds your project.
What a BABA insufficient data verdict means, and how to clear it
Why a BABA determination returns insufficient data rather than a pass or a fail, the input gaps that trigger it, and the evidence that clears each one.
What evidence is missing from a bill of materials for BABA compliance
The evidence a BABA domestic-content determination needs from a bill of materials: cost, origin, sub-components and process steps, and how to record a gap honestly.
Build America, Buy America Act: what it requires and who it binds
What the Build America, Buy America Act requires: its three material categories, the 55 percent and melt-and-pour tests, and who it binds.
FTA Buy America requirements: the 70% rolling-stock rule
FTA Buy America requirements for transit buses and railcars: 70% domestic content, final US assembly, and FTA's own waivers, stricter than BABA.
BEAD Buy America rules: what broadband builders must certify
NTIA's BEAD Buy America rules: what the semiconductor waiver exempts, which four equipment categories still need a 55% test, and how to certify.
EV charger domestic content: the Buy America rules, and what's changing
EV charger domestic content is moving from a 55 percent test toward a proposed 100 percent. What NEVI-funded projects must show today, and what's coming.
BABA vs TAA compliance: which Buy America rule applies to your contract?
TAA compliant does not mean BABA compliant. See how the two domestic-preference rules differ, then check your bill of materials free.
What is the 55% domestic content threshold under BABA?
The 55% domestic content threshold is the US-origin share of component cost a manufactured product must reach. FHWA applies it to highways from 1 October 2026.
BABA compliance checklist: 9 steps before you certify a bid
A practical BABA compliance checklist for bid teams: confirm the agency, classify each item, check the 55 percent test, and file before signing.
Buy America enforcement and penalties: what is at stake in 2026
Buy America enforcement penalties are tightening in 2026. What non-compliance actually risks, from funding clawbacks to False Claims exposure, and how to protect a bid with a documented determination.
How is BABA domestic content calculated? A worked guide
How BABA domestic content is calculated: divide the cost of US-origin components by the total cost of all components. Here is exactly what counts, what is excluded, and why it is measured by cost, not quantity.
The five BABA waivers, and why none of them is a pass
Build America, Buy America recognises five waiver categories: public interest, nonavailability, unreasonable cost, de minimis, and small grants. Here is what each one requires, the objective tests where they exist, and why a waiver is never the same as compliance.
Iron and steel: why every step from melt to coating has to be US
The Build America, Buy America standard for iron and steel is all-or-nothing: every manufacturing process, from the initial melting stage through the application of coatings, must occur in the United States. Here is what that covers and where projects trip.
The 55 percent rule for manufactured products, worked end to end
Under Build America, Buy America a manufactured product passes only if it is made in the United States AND its US component cost is greater than 55 percent of total component cost. Here is exactly how that math works, with numbers.
BABA compliance for battery storage: a determination guide
How BABA applies to battery storage: which BESS enclosures, racks, cells and inverters face the 55 percent test, and how to run a determination.
How to get a BABA waiver: the process, step by step
How to get a BABA waiver: identify the right category, build the evidence, and submit the request to your funding agency for OMB review. A clear walk-through of the five waiver types and what each one needs.
A Buy America compliance API for estimating and agents
A Buy America compliance API returns a cited BABA verdict from a bill of materials, so estimating software and AI agents can run a determination mid-task. Here is what the endpoint does and how to call it.
Which agencies enforce BABA? A cross-agency guide
Which agencies enforce BABA and how their guidance differs: OMB sets the government-wide baseline, and FHWA, EPA SRF and USDA Rural Development apply it to their programmes. Here is who does what.
EPA SRF BABA compliance: a guide for water projects
EPA SRF BABA compliance explained for Clean Water and Drinking Water projects: how the domestic-content rules reach SRF-funded work, what counts, and how to run a determination for pipe, pumps and plant.
BABA vs Buy American Act vs Buy America: what differs
BABA vs the Buy American Act vs Buy America: which domestic-preference law applies when, what each covers, and how the thresholds differ.
USDA Rural Development BABA requirements, explained
USDA Rural Development BABA requirements for rural water, broadband and infrastructure grants: which items are covered, how the three categories apply, and how to run a determination for a smaller project team.
FHWA Buy America domestic content: the highway guide
FHWA Buy America domestic content, explained for highway bidders: how the steel and iron rules and BABA manufactured-product test apply to federal-aid projects, and where teams most often slip.
BABA compliance software vs a consultant: how to choose
BABA compliance software vs a consultant: when self-serve software is enough, when you need expert advice, and how to combine both.
A guide explains the rule. Your bill of materials decides the verdict.
Run your own BOM through the determination engine, cited to the OMB and agency source, or read the exact agency thresholds before you bid.