DASNY opened 17 bids at 2 p.m. on August 19 for the FISP Cycle 9 facade restoration and asbestos abatement at Baruch College's Lawrence and Eris Field Building, 17 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan (DASNY project 3907409999, contract C858, general construction). PB Contracting Corp was low at $1,432,097. DASNY estimated the job at $1.8 million to $2.1 million, so the low bid is $367,903, or 20.4%, under the bottom of the agency's own range.
The top of the tab was close. Sharan Builders was second at $1,471,544, only $39,447 (2.8%) behind. AKSH Quality Contracting was third at $1,531,810, New American Construction fourth at $1,560,000 and Zircon Group fifth at $1,593,500. All five were within $161,403 of each other. After them came ZHN Contracting at $1,682,852, Banu Construction at $1,745,380, OK Construction at $1,766,000, Stonebridge Contracting at $1,793,884 and Best NY Construction at $1,823,679.12. The rest of the field was well above that: LB & J Construction at $2,165,350, Maven Restoration at $2,243,661, Metropolitan Construction at $2,612,930, B N Restoration at $3,465,786, AP-Tech Contracting at $3,669,280 and Lanmark Group at $4,052,805. A.B.C.D. Construction Corp was high at $4,123,588, which is 2.88 times the low and a 187.9% spread.
Measured against DASNY's number, nine of the 17 bids came in under the $1.8 million bottom of the range. One, Best NY, landed inside it. Seven came in over the $2.1 million top. The middle bid, Stonebridge's $1,793,884, was just $6,116 short of the bottom of the estimate.
This is Local Law 11 work. FISP, the city's Facade Inspection and Safety Program, requires the building to be inspected every five years, and Cycle 9 flagged conditions DASNY calls unsafe. The scope is standard for an old masonry front: replace spalled and cracked brick, repair stone and terra cotta, repoint joints, replace steel lintels that are sagging or rusting, clean and recoat corroded steel, replace sealant joints, rebuild brick infill walls, repair railing connections, replace cracked stucco and broken glass, recoat window frames, and remove loose material that could fall. The goals are 18% MBE, 12% WBE and 6% SDVOB, with a 45% minority and women workforce goal. The contract runs through December 31, 2027.
Why this matters. There were two markets on one tab. Ten facade shops priced the job at $1.43 million to $1.82 million, and seven priced it at $2.17 million to $4.12 million. The low bidder also has to carry the goals at its lower number. At $1,432,097, 18% MBE comes to about $257,777 of work, 12% WBE to about $171,852, and 6% SDVOB to about $85,926. That is real money for a certified masonry, abatement or scaffold sub, but it is a smaller pie than DASNY's estimate implied. A low bid 20% under estimate usually gets a close look at qualifications. DASNY's notice asks for five years' experience and five similar contracts in the last ten years.
What to do next. An apparent low is not an award. DASNY lists the job as in progress, so watch its page for the award. Certified subs should price to PB Contracting and size their numbers to a $1.43 million contract, not a $2 million one. DASNY has more CUNY facade work open right now. The John Jay College Haaren Hall facade restoration and asbestos abatement is due October 8 at 2 p.m. The Baruch College Newman Hall facade restoration, open only to minority, women and small business enterprises, is due October 29 at 2 p.m. The John Jay College New Building FISP 9 facade repair is taking expressions of interest through October 20.