DASNY put out two separate calls on the same John Jay College building today, and neither one is a construction bid yet. The first is a request for information on a gymnasium facilities upgrade at Haaren Hall, due October 19. The second is a request for information tied to FISP Local Law 11 facade repair on John Jay's newer building at 899 10th Avenue, due October 20 — one day later.

Both are information-gathering stage, not bid stage — DASNY is still figuring out scope, cost, and who's out there before either one turns into an actual construction solicitation. That's a useful distinction for a contractor deciding how much time to spend now: an RFI response is a chance to shape the eventual scope and get your name on the radar, not a bid you can price and walk away from.

“John Jay is getting worked on two fronts, gym and facade, and a contractor who responds to both RFIs now is positioned to bid whichever one turns into real work first.”

The facade repair RFI is the one worth watching closer. FISP — the city's facade inspection safety program, the rule that makes building owners inspect and repair exterior walls on a cycle — drives a steady stream of this kind of work citywide, and a college building coming up for its cycle repair is about as predictable a pipeline entry as this business offers.

Two RFIs at one campus in the same week isn't a coincidence so much as a capital plan showing its hand — John Jay is getting worked on two fronts, gym and facade, and a contractor who responds to both RFIs now is positioned to bid whichever one turns into real work first.

Both notices run through DASNY. Firms interested in shaping scope on either should get responses in ahead of the October 19 and October 20 deadlines — RFI responses typically require far less lead time than a full bid package, but they're also the only chance to influence what actually gets bid later.