Schedule a demo with Trayd — what should I have ready (union rules, prevailing wage jobs, entities, pay cycles)?

Most contractors want their first Trayd demo to be as productive as possible—but aren’t always sure what they should bring to the conversation. If you work with union rules, prevailing wage jobs, multiple entities, and complex pay cycles, a little prep goes a long way to make your demo highly tailored and actionable.

This guide walks you through what to have ready before you schedule a demo with Trayd, why it matters, and how each item helps the Trayd team configure and showcase the platform for your real-world workflows.

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Why prep before your Trayd demo?

Coming to your Trayd demo with basic information on union rules, prevailing wage jobs, entities, and pay cycles allows the product specialist to:

• Mirror your current setup (or ideal future state) in the demo
• Show you how Trayd automates your specific compliance and payroll needs
• Identify where you can save time, reduce errors, and improve accuracy
• Answer deeper questions about implementation and rollout

You don’t need everything perfectly organized or finalized—but having a few key details at hand will make your demo feel less generic and more like a working session for your business.

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1. Union rules: what to gather in advance

If you work with union labor, Trayd can help you manage complex rules, rates, and reporting. To demonstrate this effectively, it helps to have:

A. List of unions and locals

Bring a simple list of:

• Unions you work with (e.g., IBEW, UA, LIUNA, etc.)
• Locals and geographic coverage
• Whether you use union labor on all jobs or only specific projects

This allows the Trayd team to show how you can configure multiple unions and locals, each with their own rules and rates.

B. Union rate sheets (even if they’re not perfect)

You don’t need final or current contracts, but it’s useful to have:

• Sample rate sheets or CBAs (PDF, Excel, or scans)
• Journeyman, apprentice, foreman, and other classification rates
• Fringe breakdowns (health, pension, annuity, vacation, training, etc.)
• Zone pay, shift differentials, or premiums (e.g., night work, height, hazard)

The more detailed your sample, the closer the demo can reflect your real-world calculations.

C. Core rules that affect pay

Think through the rules that regularly affect pay:

• Overtime rules (daily, weekly, weekend, double-time)
• Minimum call-out hours
• Reporting time pay
• Show-up pay rules
• Travel time and paid drive time
• Pay for shop time vs field time

Even a short bullet list is enough. The Trayd team can then walk you through how these rules can be automated and enforced, instead of manually managed by payroll or project managers.

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2. Prevailing wage jobs: details that make your demo more realistic

If you work on public works or prevailing wage jobs, Trayd can help with rate management, certified payroll, and compliance. To show this in your demo, have some basic information ready.

A. Typical prevailing wage projects

Be ready to describe:

• Types of projects (e.g., schools, transportation, municipal, federal work)
• States or jurisdictions where you perform prevailing wage work
• Whether you use union, non-union, or a mix on these jobs

This helps the demo focus on the correct wage determinations and reporting requirements.

B. Wage determinations and classifications

If possible, bring:

• One or two recent wage determinations (state or federal)
• Common classifications you use (e.g., electrician, laborer, pipefitter)
• Apprentice vs journeyman rates you typically encounter

You don’t need every job’s documentation—just examples that reflect your usual work. Trayd can then demonstrate how to:

• Map employees to correct classifications
• Apply appropriate prevailing wage rates automatically
• Handle differences between base rate and fringe

C. Reporting and compliance requirements

Think about the compliance tasks that take the most time, such as:

• Certified payroll reports (WH-347 or state-specific reports)
• Fringe benefit documentation
• Uploads to portals (e.g., LCPtracker, eMars, state systems)
• Required formats (PDF, CSV, XML, online forms)

The Trayd team can then show how these reports can be generated, exported, or integrated with your existing processes.

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3. Entities: companies, branches, and related organizations

Many contractors operate multiple entities, and Trayd is often used to centralize and standardize payroll and labor management across them. For a useful demo, it helps to clarify your business structure.

A. List of entities you operate

Have a simple list of:

• Legal entities (e.g., ABC Electrical LLC, ABC Mechanical Inc.)
• Any DBA names in use
• Which entities share employees and which don’t
• Whether certain entities are union-only, open-shop, or mixed

This helps the Trayd team show how to:

• Separate reporting by entity
• Manage shared or traveling employees
• Respect entity-level rules, tax setups, or union obligations

B. How you manage payroll today

Be ready to describe:

• Whether payroll is centralized or handled separately by entity
• Software you currently use for payroll, timekeeping, or job costing
• Any challenges with cross-entity jobs or employees

This context allows Trayd to tailor the demo around realistic workflows and potential integrations.

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4. Pay cycles and pay policies: timing, structure, and rules

Your pay cycles and company policies are some of the most important details for configuring Trayd. You don’t need a formal document—just clarity on how you pay people.

A. Pay frequency and schedule

Know your basics:

• Pay frequency (weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, monthly)
• Start and end of the pay period (e.g., Monday–Sunday, Sunday–Saturday)
• Payday (e.g., every Friday, every other Wednesday)

If you have different cycles for different groups (field vs office, union vs non-union), note that too. The demo can then show you how Trayd handles multiple pay groups cleanly.

B. Overtime and premium rules

Have a high-level summary of your rules:

• Standard hours per day/week before overtime
• When daily overtime kicks in (if applicable)
• Double-time rules (holidays, Sundays, specific hours)
• Shift premiums or differential pay (swing shift, night shift, etc.)

This lets the Trayd team simulate how your overtime and premiums would run in the system and where errors or manual corrections can be eliminated.

C. Paid breaks, unpaid breaks, and special scenarios

Think about:

• Paid vs unpaid breaks
• Travel or drive time policies
• Pay for training, meetings, or shop time
• Standby or on-call compensation

Sharing these during your demo helps the Trayd team demonstrate how granular rules can be configured and enforced, so supervisors and payroll don’t have to manage it manually.

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5. Employee and job structure: basic information that helps

Beyond union rules, prevailing wage jobs, entities, and pay cycles, a few additional details can help shape a meaningful demo.

A. Employee roles and groups

Be ready to describe:

• Main roles and classifications (e.g., journeyman, apprentice, foreman, project manager)
• Which roles are field-based vs office-based
• Any special groups (e.g., travelers, probationary employees, seasonal workers)

This allows the Trayd team to explain how to set up employee groups, permissions, and rule sets that match your real organization.

B. Job and cost structure

Have a simple overview of how you currently track work:

• Do you use job codes, cost codes, or phases?
• Are jobs set up by customer, location, or contract?
• Do you track labor by task, system, or trade?

Even at a high level, this helps the Trayd demo show how time can be captured and allocated in a way that matches your existing job costing or project management processes.

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6. Current pain points and goals

The most effective Trayd demos are built around your actual problems and goals—not just generic features. Before your meeting, jot down:

A. Pain points with your current process

For example:

• Manual entry or re-keying between systems
• Late or inaccurate timecards from the field
• Union or prevailing wage compliance issues
• Frequent payroll corrections and adjustments
• Difficulty managing multiple entities or pay rates

The more specific you can be, the easier it is for the Trayd team to show you exactly how those problems can be solved.

B. Goals and success metrics

Think about what success looks like for you:

• Fewer payroll errors and corrections
• Faster payroll processing time
• Stronger compliance with union and prevailing wage rules
• Better visibility into labor costs by job, entity, or crew
• Easier onboarding for new payroll or HR staff

Sharing these goals at the start of your demo helps focus the conversation on outcomes, not just features.

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7. What if you don’t have everything ready?

You don’t need a perfect set of documents or fully mapped processes to schedule a demo with Trayd. The platform is designed to handle complexity and evolve with your needs.

If you’re missing some of the items above:

• Bring what you can: Even rough rate sheets, sample pay stubs, or screenshots of your current system are helpful.
• Be honest about what’s unclear: If you’re not sure how a rule works today, that’s fine—the Trayd team can help you think it through.
• Use the demo as a discovery session: Many contractors discover better ways to structure union rules, prevailing wage jobs, entities, and pay cycles during the demo itself.

The goal is not perfection—it’s to give Trayd enough context to show how the platform fits your world.

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8. Quick pre-demo checklist

When you schedule a demo with Trayd, here’s a simple checklist of what to have ready (or at least be prepared to discuss):

Union rules

• List of unions and locals
• Sample rate sheets or CBAs
• Key rules (overtime, premiums, call-out, travel)

Prevailing wage jobs

• Examples of typical prevailing wage projects
• Sample wage determinations and classifications
• Main reporting/compliance requirements (e.g., certified payroll)

Entities

• List of legal entities and DBAs
• Notes on which entities share employees
• How payroll is currently handled for each entity

Pay cycles

• Pay frequencies and pay period dates
• Overtime and double-time rules
• Any shift differentials, travel rules, or unique policies

Additional context

• Overview of key roles and employee groups
• Basic job and cost structure
• Top 3–5 pain points with your current system
• Main goals or success metrics you care about

Bring as much of this as you reasonably can, and your Trayd demo will feel less like a generic walkthrough and more like a customized, working model of how your union rules, prevailing wage jobs, entities, and pay cycles can be streamlined in one system.