MTA Construction & Development opened bids Oct. 28 on contract C40299: replacement of HVAC, boilers, air curtains and fire alarms, a new building management system, and rehabilitation of the depot and parking lot at three bus depots in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island. Nine bids came in. The solicitation advertised an estimate range of $10 million to $50 million. The lowest straight price on the tab was $69,628,000.

This is an A+B contract, so the ranking is not the price alone. A is the gross sum bid. B is a dollar value placed on the milestone schedule each bidder commits to. The agency ranks on A plus B. On that evaluated total, Welkin Mechanical LLC is the apparent low at $74,236,719.20 (A: $69,628,000; B: $4,608,719.20). Infinity Contracting Services Corp. is second at $76,986,362 (A: $70,966,000; B: $6,020,362), $2,749,642.80 or 3.7% higher. On price alone the gap between the two is $1,338,000.

The B column moved one pair. Stirling Mechanical LLC had the third-lowest price, $76,472,000, but Navillus Contracting Inc. ranks third on the evaluated total at $82,003,874 because its B value, $4,953,874, was $1,346,220.70 lower than Stirling's $6,300,094.70. Stirling lands fourth at $82,772,094.70.

The full field on evaluated totals: Welkin Mechanical, $74,236,719.20; Infinity Contracting Services, $76,986,362; Navillus Contracting, $82,003,874; Stirling Mechanical, $82,772,094.70; FOS Development Corp., $86,621,000; Iannelli Construction Co., $103,998,724.70; Richards Plumbing & Heating Co., $110,608,724.70; CDE Air Conditioning Co., $110,843,214.70; Judlau Contracting, $120,968,724.70. That is a 63.0% spread from low to high, with a median of $86,621,000. The four highest bidders all carried the same B value, $6,768,724.70.

The work covers the Kingsbridge Bus Depot at 4065 10th Avenue in Manhattan, the Flatbush Bus Depot at 4901 Fillmore Avenue in Brooklyn and the Charleston Bus Depot at 4700 Arthur Kill Road on Staten Island, the three sites C&D toured with bidders in July. The notice lists 100% federal transit funding, a 22.5% DBE goal and an 845-day contract term. It first set the opening for Aug. 21. The bids were opened Oct. 28.

Why this matters. The lowest price in the room sits 39% above the top of the agency's own range, and not one of nine bidders priced the job under $69 million. When a whole field lands that far outside the estimate, the problem is the estimate, not the bidders, and the agency has to decide whether to fund the gap or rework the job. Nine bids on a mechanical-heavy package past $70 million also shows how deep this bench runs for depot work.

What to do next. The apparent low is not an award. Sheet metal, controls and BMS, fire alarm, boiler, paving and abatement subs should price to Welkin and Infinity now, and DBE-certified firms should be on the phone to both, since a 22.5% goal on a job this size is real money. Track it on our board: RFI-000894.

Update, Sept. 28, 2026: MTA C&D's 2025 awards list shows C40299 awarded Dec. 31, 2025, to a firm listed as Siemens Welkin Mechanical LLC for $69,628,000, the A price of the apparent low. The awards list shows goals of 0% for the contract; the solicitation notice had advertised a 22.5% DBE goal.