GC and agency portals vs the DIR eCPR filing
LCPtracker, PRISM, Elation Systems, OCPS, eMars. Each one is somebody's monitoring system. None of them is the state's filing, with four named exceptions. Here is the map.
The rule
DIR's eCPR FAQ answers the question directly: if you submit certified payroll to a union, the prime, the awarding body, or a labor compliance program, do you still submit to DIR? "Yes. Submitting CPRs to other agencies does not put you in compliance with the state unless you submit eCPRs directly to DIR" (DIR). The portal is the awarding body's side. The eCPR under your own registration is the state's side. On most projects you owe both.
The four exceptions
The same FAQ lists the projects exempt from furnishing certified payroll to the Labor Commissioner: those monitored and enforced by the four legacy Labor Compliance Programs, the California Department of Transportation, the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Unified School District, and the County of Sacramento, plus projects covered by qualifying project labor agreements at the Labor Commissioner's discretion. On those projects the certified payroll goes where the contract says, and the federal WH-347 duty on federally assisted work is untouched.
Who uses what
| Awarding body | Portal | Direct DIR eCPR |
|---|---|---|
| County of Los Angeles | LCPtracker. The County states plainly that certified payrolls are submitted on both the DIR system and LCPtracker | Yes, both |
| City and County of San Francisco | LCPtracker citywide, run by the Office of Labor Standards Enforcement | Yes, separately |
| City of San Diego | PRISM Compliance Management, the City's system of record | Yes, separately |
| BART | Elation Systems for labor compliance; confirm the current requirement in your contract documents | Yes, separately |
| City of Los Angeles | OCPS, the City's own online certified payroll system; the Bureau of Contract Administration bars substitutes like LCPtracker | Generally exempt, legacy LCP |
| Caltrans | LCPtracker on designated contracts, the Caltrans File Transfer portal on others | Generally exempt, legacy LCP |
| LAUSD | The district's own Certified Payroll Reporting System | Generally exempt, legacy LCP |
| County of Sacramento | The channel named in the County contract | Generally exempt, legacy LCP |
The body pages linked above carry the verified source for each portal fact and the current count of registered projects. Bodies not listed here default to the general rule: the portal in your contract for the awarding body, plus the direct DIR eCPR filing.
What the portals actually are
- LCPtracker is a third party labor compliance platform that awarding bodies license. Your upload there feeds the body's monitoring. It has no path into DIR's system.
- PRISM Compliance Management is another third party platform, used by the City of San Diego as its system of record.
- Elation Systems is the platform BART directs contractors to for labor compliance.
- OCPS is the City of Los Angeles' own online certified payroll system, not a vendor product, and the City requires it rather than LCPtracker.
- eMars is a commercial certified payroll product some primes and agencies use, with its own submission flow.
The double entry problem, and the way out
A sub on a County of Los Angeles project types the same week into LCPtracker and into DIR. A sub on a San Francisco project does the same with LCPtracker and DIR. Every additional project adds a portal, and every portal has its own format quirks. The way out is one payroll export that feeds every filing. We produce the DIR eCPR and the WH-347 from your export, and at setup we confirm exactly where each project's filings have to go, including the portal side. Nothing goes out without your sign off.