Four contractors bid the Department of Design and Construction's elevator and escalator overhaul at the Bronx Housing Court on March 26, and APN Construction Corp. came in far below the rest at $9,944,509.57. The project, CO295EV (EPIN 85026B0057), sits in Bronx Community Board 4; DDC's pre-bid site visit was at 1118 Grand Concourse.
DDC's scope: modernize and replace six elevators, two escalators and 15 platform lifts, with the architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing work that comes with them. The solicitation carries special experience requirements and the city's community hiring requirements. City Record first listed it on Jan. 30 with a Feb. 25 due date; the bids came in a month later.
The field: APN Construction Corp. $9,944,509.57; Gramercy Group Inc. $13,499,833.54; Lanmark Group Inc. $14,297,756.57; Neelam Construction Corp. $17,259,000.00.
APN is $3,555,323.97 under Gramercy. Put another way, the second bid is 35.8% above the low, and APN's price is 26.3% below Gramercy's. Low to high, the field spread 73.6%. The median is $13,898,795.05. No engineer's estimate appears in the public bid record.
This is APN's second DDC apparent low in five weeks. On Feb. 18 it led 12 bidders on the Degraw Street firehouse renovation in Brooklyn at $10,288,483.53. The courthouse job is on our board as RFI-000753. An apparent low is not an award: DDC reviews the low bidder before an award notice runs in City Record.
Why this matters. Elevator modernization in a busy public building is a phasing job as much as an equipment job, since cars generally come out of service a few at a time while the building stays open, and 15 platform lifts add accessibility work on top. A low this far under the field puts pressure on the elevator sub's number, which is where most of the money in a job like this sits.
What to do next. Elevator and escalator contractors, controls, electrical, fire alarm interface and architectural finish subs should price to APN now. Watch City Record for DDC's award.