Source checks: 3 tests before pricing a rule

Key takeaways

• Confirm the site is official.
• Confirm the text is current.
• Confirm the date that governs your job.
• Save the page and record the URL, version marker, governing date, and date checked.

Why a published page is not enough

You find a rate, a fee, or a required clause on a government page. The page looks official. It has a seal, a familiar layout, and a clear table. You copy the number into a bid. A few weeks later the figure has changed, or the page was an old copy someone uploaded, or the link you followed was a summary written by a third party.

Each check answers a different question. An official site can still show an old version. A current version can still have a date that does not fit your project. Passing one check does not pass the others.

This post explains the checks in general terms. Rules differ by agency, state, and country, and this post does not tell you what any particular rule says. It shows you how to tell whether the page in front of you is one you can rely on, and what to write down so you can defend the number later.

Check 1: Confirm the site is official

Start with the address. Many government sites use a .gov ending, but the ending alone is not proof. The Georgia Department of Public Safety puts it this way: "Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov." The word "often" is the point. A .gov address is a good sign, not a guarantee. A lookalike domain can be built to imitate a government page, and some official content lives on other domains.

For Georgia state government, the same Motor Carrier Compliance page gives a more specific test: "State of Georgia government websites and email systems use “georgia.gov” or “ga.gov” at the end of the address." If you are pricing from a Georgia state page and the address does not end in one of those, stop and find out why before you go further. Do not assume the page is wrong, but do not assume it is right either.

When the address does not settle the question, check through a route you already trust. The same page advises: "Call 1-800-GEORGIA to verify that a website is an official website of the State of Georgia." Use a phone number you already have from an earlier official document or from a directory you trust. Do not use a number printed on the page you are checking. A number on a suspicious page can be fake too.

If two official pages from the same agency show different figures, do not pick the one that suits the bid. Look for the page the agency names as controlling, or ask the agency directly. Record both pages and the answer you received.

Other signs to look for on the page itself are the agency name, the contact details, and a clear link back to the agency's main site. An official page usually names the agency that publishes it and says who to contact about its content. If the page names one agency in the header and a different one in the footer, or names no agency at all, treat it as unverified until you can match it to the publisher.

Three habits help here:

• Do not reach the page from a link in an email, a text message, or a sponsored search result. Type the agency's address yourself, or go through a bookmark you made earlier.
• Treat copies with suspicion. A rate table on a supplier's blog, a forum post, or a software vendor's help page is not the official text, even if the numbers match. Use the copy to find the official source, then price from the official source and cite it.
• Keep your own list of the official sites for the agencies you price against. A short, verified list is faster and safer than searching again for every job.

There is also a reason to be careful about what you send. The same page warns: "Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you’re on an official state website." Bid forms, company tax details, and payment information all count. If a site fails the first two checks, do not enter anything on it.

Check 2: Confirm the text is current

An official site can still show a version of a rule that has been amended since it was first published. Official does not mean current. The way to find out is to read the site's own statement about how up to date it is. Two published examples show what to look for.

Changes published after a site's stated cutoff may not be on the page yet. The section 231.1 page is an example of a page that states its own cutoff.

Find the site's cutoff marker, write it down, and ask the publishing agency when that cutoff does not cover your job.

The UK legislation site is more explicit about its limits. Its disclaimer reads: "Revised legislation carried on this site may not be fully up to date." Its page for regulation 18 of The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 says: "There are currently no known outstanding effects for The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, Section 18." Read that carefully. It says there are no known outstanding effects. It does not say there are none.

The same site adds: "At the current time any known changes or effects made by subsequent legislation have been applied to the text of the legislation you are viewing by the editorial team." The words "known" and "at the current time" carry weight. The site is describing what its editors have applied so far. It is not promising that the text is final. The regulation 18 page shows both statements in one place.

Still record the date you checked it, because the site itself says its text may not be fully up to date.

Explanatory material is a reading aid. When a number or requirement matters to a price, find it in the operative text, and use supporting material only to understand the context around it.

Many pages also show a "last updated" or "last reviewed" date near the top or bottom. Treat that date as a clue, not as proof. It tells you when someone last touched the page, which may be a different day from the day the rule last changed. Use it together with the currency statement, and do not rely on it alone.

Two practical habits follow from this:

• Record the version marker, the effective-through date, or the "latest available" label, whichever the site shows.
• Save a dated copy or a screenshot of the page you priced from. If the page changes next month, you can show exactly what you used on the day you used it.

Check 3: Confirm the date that governs your job

Current text can still be the wrong text for your job. A rule carries several dates that matter: when it was filed, when it took effect, and sometimes when a particular part applies. Those dates can differ. The date at the top of a page is not always the date you need.

The page for section 14300.42 of Title 8 on dir.ca.gov includes this note: "New section filed 1-15-2002; operative 1-15-2002 pursuant to Government Code section 11343.4 (Register 2002, No." The note separates two events. In this example the two dates happen to match, but the note still lists them as separate events. Read both, and use the one that governs when the rule applies to your job. The section 14300.42 page has the full note.

The UK site warns about dates in a similar way. It says: "In some cases the first date is 01/02/1991 (or for Northern Ireland legislation 01/01/2006)." Do not treat the first date you see on a legislation page as the date your job falls under. Check what that date refers to, then check whether any later change moves it. This is the same regulation 18 page you used for the currency check, so you can read both statements in one visit.

A simple way to test the date is this:

• Write down the date the rule says it takes effect for the kind of work you are pricing.
• Check whether any later change alters that date or the part of the rule you are using.
• If the page lists a filing date and an operative date, record both.
• If your contract date, permit date, or bid due date falls on either side of a change, get the agency's answer in writing before you price. A short email is enough.

Your bid date, your contract signing date, and the date the work is performed can each fall under a different version. Decide which date your contract uses, write that choice down next to the source, and check the version that was in effect on that date. For wage-related changes, see the guide to carrying wage changes in a public bid.

Be careful with the difference between a rule that is in force and a rule that applies to your scope. A rate may be in force for the whole year but apply only to certain classes of work. A requirement may apply from one date for new contracts and from another for work already under way. Those distinctions come from the rule's own text, not from the page header, so read the scope section before you copy a number.

A short routine for every rate or rule

Use the same steps every time. Consistency matters more than speed, because it is the record you will rely on if a number is questioned later.

1. Open the page from a route you trust, not from a forwarded link.
2. Check the address. For Georgia state pages, look for georgia.gov or ga.gov; for other agencies, confirm their official domain.
3. If you are unsure, verify the site by phone, using a number from a source you already trust.
4. Find the site's currency statement. That may be an "effective through" marker, a "latest available" label, or a note about known changes.
5. Read the history note, and find the dates that govern your work.
6. Read the scope section, and confirm the rule applies to the kind of work you are pricing.
7. Save a dated copy of the page. Record the URL, the version marker, the dates, and the date you checked.
8. Cite the official page in your estimate, with a link.
9. If any step fails, do not price from that source. Ask the agency or find the official source first.

What to do when a check fails

If the address is wrong, do not use the page. Look for the agency's official site from a directory you trust, or call the number you already have on file. Do not search for a new number on the page itself.

If the currency statement does not cover your job, ask the publishing agency how to confirm the applicable text. If you still cannot confirm the current text, say so in your estimate and ask the agency for the figure in writing.

If the history note shows dates that do not fit your project, do not guess which one applies. Ask the agency which date controls your work. A wrong guess here can change the price of a whole job, so the question is worth the delay.

If your firm has a second reviewer, ask them to repeat the first two checks on a sample of your sources each quarter. A second pair of eyes catches the copy that looks right but is not the official text.

Keep a record that holds up

A simple log is enough. For example: "Rate taken from the official page at the listed URL, checked on the stated date, version marker as shown, governing date as stated in the history note." When a client or a reviewer asks where a number came from, you can answer in one line and point to the saved copy.

The log also helps the next estimator. Someone pricing a similar job next quarter can see which sources you used, which ones you checked, and which ones you ruled out. That saves time and avoids repeating the same mistake. Use that record alongside your construction estimate audit.

Illustrative example: check before copying

Suppose an estimate has 10 rate entries, and 2 come from pages whose governing dates you cannot confirm. Keep those 2 entries out of the price while you ask the publishing agency which text applies. For each remaining entry, confirm the official source, current text, and governing date before saving the page. The count is illustrative; it is not a rate or a rule.

What to do today

Choose a rate in your current estimate and run the routine above before copying it into the bid.

Questions before pricing

Does an official page prove the text is current?

No; check its currency statement and version marker before relying on it.

Which date should I record?

Record the date that governs your work, keeping filing and operative dates separate when both appear.

What if I cannot confirm the applicable version?

Ask the publishing agency for the applicable text or figure in writing before pricing from it.