The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey opened bids March 26 on Contract JFK-974.206, roof reconstruction of Building 254 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens. Five bids came in. A.B.C.D. Construction Corp. of Brooklyn was apparent low at $3,970,446.
The Port Authority's preliminary results list the full field, each split into classified and unclassified work: A.B.C.D. Construction Corp., Brooklyn, $3,970,446 ($150,000 classified, $3,820,446 unclassified); Attri Enterprises, Inc., Brooklyn, $6,249,727; Paul J. Scariano, Inc., New Rochelle, $6,717,761; Fos Development Corp., Long Island City, $7,095,000; and J M & A Construction Corp., Queens Village, $7,970,000.
The gap between first and second is $2,279,281, or 57.4% of the low bid. The high bid is 100.7% above the low. The median is $6,717,761. The Port Authority's project fact sheet put the estimated contract value at $5 million to $10 million. Four of the five bids landed inside that range. The low bid landed $1,029,554 below its floor.
The fact sheet describes the job as a roof rehabilitation that includes removing and reinstalling or rehabilitating the roof-mounted electrical, electronics, plumbing and mechanical equipment, with a roof warranty of at least 20 years. It was not open to all comers: only firms prequalified on the B List under RFQS 59109, the Port Authority's master agreements for general construction on a work-order basis for the JFK Redevelopment Program, could bid. The fact sheet also says the project may be federally funded in whole or in part, which brings federal contract provisions with it.
Nothing is awarded yet. Apparent low is not an award, and the Port Authority posts these results as preliminary. The board listing is RFI-000754.
Why this matters. Every firm in this room had cleared the same prequalification, yet the prices did not bunch: the second through fifth bids sit within $1.72 million of each other, and the low bid sits $2.28 million below all of them. A gap that size gets a close look from any owner before award. If A.B.C.D. holds its price, the Port Authority buys a JFK roof for well under what it budgeted.
What to do next. Roofing, sheet metal, and the mechanical and electrical trades that disconnect, lift and reset rooftop equipment should price to A.B.C.D. Construction now, and build in airport security badging and federal-provision paperwork. Watch for the Port Authority's award. Firms that want to prime the next job in this pool need to be on the RFQS 59109 B List first.