DASNY opened 11 sealed bids at 2 p.m. on August 27 for the Namm Building hot water perimeter heating system and asbestos abatement at New York City College of Technology, 300 Jay Street in Downtown Brooklyn (DASNY project 3714009999, contract C1321, general construction). Dynamic US, Inc. came in low at $21,440,000. This is the second time the job has been priced this year, and the number went up.

The tab: Dynamic US at $21,440,000. GDS Mechanical, Inc. second at $22,434,000, which is $994,000 (4.6%) behind. AWL Industries third at $23,722,000, then Maric Plumbing & Heating at $24,000,000, Vital Plumbing at $24,955,555, Maric Mechanical at $25,799,000, ACS System Associates at $25,995,000, Infinity Contracting Services at $26,922,000, Gem Quality Corporation at $26,991,689 and Lima Contractors at $27,222,000. Zaman Construction Corp was high at $28,830,000. That is a $7.39 million spread, 34.5% from low to high. The middle bid was Maric Mechanical's $25,799,000, so the low sits about 17% under the center of the pack.

Here is how it got here. DASNY first put the job out in January as an expression of interest, a qualifications round, with construction estimated at $14 million to $14.5 million. It shortlisted seven firms, and four of them bid on April 23: Dynamic US at $19,179,000, AWL at $27,640,000, A.K.S. International at $33,848,000 and Maric Mechanical at $39,392,000. In July, DASNY advertised the job again as an open public bid with a new estimate of $18.5 million to $19 million. The bid date then moved from August 20 to August 27, as we reported on August 22. DASNY's pages do not say why the job went back out.

Put the two rounds next to each other and the field moved in opposite directions. Dynamic's number rose $2,261,000, or 11.8%. AWL came down $3,918,000 (14.2%), and Maric Mechanical came down $13,593,000 (34.5%). The April spread was 105% across four bids. The August spread was 34.5% across eleven. The low still landed $2.44 million, or 12.8%, over the top of DASNY's $19 million estimate.

The job carries 18% MBE, 12% WBE and 6% SDVOB goals. It is one prime general construction contract under a Project Labor Agreement, which is a condition of award, and every subcontractor at every tier has to sign on to it. The contract runs through August 31, 2030. The scope covers replacing the building's hot water pumps, perimeter heating piping, insulation, valves and heating units. It also includes new VAV boxes, meaning the units that control air to each zone, plus new controllers, perimeter valves and thermostats tied to a new building management system, and asbestos abatement in specified spaces.

Why this matters. Opening the job to everyone brought in seven bidders who were not on April's shortlist: GDS, Maric Plumbing & Heating, Vital, Infinity, Gem Quality, Lima and Zaman. More competition tightened the pack by a lot. It did not bring the price down to DASNY's number. The same names are showing up across campus mechanical work, too. Six days later, at the State University Construction Fund's steam boiler opening for SUNY Maritime College in the Bronx, Dynamic US was again the lowest standing bid, AWL was again third and Maric Mechanical was again sixth. Taken together, Dynamic is the apparent low on about $28.4 million of college mechanical work opened in one week.

What to do next. An apparent low is not an award. DASNY still lists the job as in progress, so watch its page for the award. Subs and suppliers should price to Dynamic US, and should price the PLA into their numbers from the start, along with the 18/12/6 goals the low bidder has to fill. For the next DASNY mechanical work on a CUNY campus, the Baruch College South Campus boilers and asbestos abatement job is due November 5 at 2 p.m. The York College Science Building HVAC upgrade is due October 15 at 2 p.m. Both are on DASNY's opportunities page. This job is on our board as the Namm Building heating job at City Tech, RFI-001525.