DASNY opened 19 bids on August 14 for the CUNY Brooklyn College East Quad Restoration, Phase 1, and Associated Asbestos Abatement, solicitation 351420, at 2900 Bedford Avenue in Midwood, Brooklyn. Jaysan Contracting Corp. is the apparent low on the base bid at $8,081,433. Steven Dubner Landscaping is second at $8,218,800.
The contract carries one alternate, and DASNY's tab lists it next to each base bid. Dubner priced the alternate at $54,000. Jaysan's alternate column shows a dash. The rest of the base bids, with alternates: JRCRUZ $9,899,000 ($25,000); National Environmental Safety Company $9,966,000 ($15,000); James Moriarty Jr. $10,937,000 ($40,000); Aventure Construction $10,983,000 ($40,000); Corbex $11,240,000 ($26,800); Iannelli Construction $11,254,900 ($20,000); Fidelis Contracting $11,418,000 ($23,000); AAH Construction $11,890,000 ($25,000); Sea Breeze General Construction $12,847,000 ($30,000); KOKO Contracting $12,875,000 ($200,000); Lanmark Group $12,877,000 ($39,000); Fratello Construction $12,948,000 ($50,000); APN Construction $13,000,000 (blank); ABC Construction Contracting $13,099,000 ($25,500); Lima Contractors $13,555,000 ($48,000); Roma Scaffolding $13,611,000 ($250,000); Zaman Construction $13,772,229 ($34,500).
Run the tab. The top two base bids are $137,367 apart, 1.7 percent. Then there is a cliff: third place is $1,680,200 behind Dubner. Low to high on the base is $5,690,796, a 70.4 percent spread, and the median is $11,890,000. DASNY advertised an estimated cost range of $12,113,942 to $14,805,930. Jaysan came in $4,032,509 under the bottom of it, 33.3 percent. Ten of the 19 base bids fell below the range, and none reached the top. Goals are 18 percent MBE, 12 percent WBE and 6 percent SDVOB, with a 45 percent workforce goal. An apparent low is not an award.
This is sitework, not a building. CUNY describes the East Quad project as a response to aging utilities, deteriorated walkways and stressed landscape areas, with much of the quad's infrastructure past its service life, and it calls for upgraded utilities, rebuilt paths, better accessibility and replanting, including a restored tree canopy. DASNY's ad for phase 1 asks for a general contractor to renovate the East Quad and its utilities and warns bidders to understand the testing procedures, site constraints and fabrication times. That explains a field with a landscaper and a scaffolding company in it alongside the usual building GCs.
Why this matters. Two bidders priced this near $8.1 million to $8.2 million, and the other 17 were at least $1.68 million behind them. When the top two are that close and that far from the pack, the owner reads both bids carefully, alternate included. Site utility, paving, hardscape, landscape and tree subs should also expect a phase 2 on the same quad.
What to do next. Price to both Jaysan and Steven Dubner Landscaping until DASNY names the award, since their alternate entries are not the same. The job is RFI-000958 on our board. Watch DASNY's Brooklyn College listings for the next East Quad phase.
Update, Sept. 28, 2026: DASNY's award table shows the contract went to Steven Dubner Landscaping, Inc. on September 30, 2025, at $8,218,800, the second-lowest base bid. The page does not give a reason the apparent low was not awarded.