Four electrical contractors bid July 14 on AW-80C, Traffic Control Devices and Warning Signage at the Queens Midtown Tunnel and Hugh L. Carey Tunnel, and the firm with the lowest price did not finish first. Hellman Electric LLC is the apparent low at an evaluated $20,989,300, $600,700 (2.86%) under E.J. Electric Installation Co. at $21,590,000. The bids are under review, and an apparent low is not an award. It is on our board as RFI-001896.

MTA C&D let this one A+B: the A number is the gross-sum price, the B number puts a dollar value on the milestone durations the bidder commits to, and the lowest A-plus-B total wins the evaluation. The contract price is the A number. On price, E.J. Electric was low at $15,440,000, and Hellman was $38,900 behind at $15,478,900. That is a 0.25% difference. The B side flipped it: Hellman's B value was $5,510,400 and E.J.'s was $6,150,000, a $639,600 swing that outweighed the price gap more than 16 times over.

The rest of the field, evaluated total first with price and B in parentheses: CRC Associates, Inc, $23,119,400 ($17,117,000 price, $6,002,400 B); TC Electric, LLC, $25,062,000 ($20,388,000 price, $4,674,000 B). TC Electric posted the lowest B in the room and still finished last on price. The evaluated field spread 19.40% from low to high ($4,072,700), with a median of $22,354,700. On price alone it spread 32.05%.

The agency's solicitation notice sets out the work: installing freeway traffic control signals, variable message signs, over-height vehicle detectors and fixed network CCTV cameras at both tunnels. The notice lists an invitation for bids, 100% MTA funding, an estimate range of $10 million to $50 million, a 548-calendar-day term, and goals of 15% MBE, 15% WBE and 6% SDVOB. It also offered the MTA's Enhanced Utilization Credit, which gives 50% extra credit toward the goals for certified firms that have had little or no MTA work before. Hellman's $15.48 million price sits in the low end of that range.

Both tubes are old and busy. The Queens Midtown Tunnel opened in 1940 between Murray Hill and Hunters Point in Long Island City. The Hugh L. Carey Tunnel opened in 1950 and is still the longest continuous underwater vehicular tunnel in North America. The MTA's capital records show the Queens Midtown's control, communications, CCTV and traffic-signal systems were already rebuilt once after Hurricane Sandy, a $95.9 million restoration since closed out. And on Dec. 24, 2025, C&D awarded HC-9R/QM-9R, fixed fire-suppression systems in the same two tunnels, to Navillus Tile Inc. for $138,252,750.

Why this matters. This is the clearest lesson an A+B tab gives. Two electrical contractors priced the same tunnel work within $38,900 of each other, and the job was decided by how many days each one was willing to commit to. If you prime B&T work, your schedule is a bid item and it carries dollars. With the fire-suppression contractor already in both tubes, whoever builds this job will be sharing lane closures and overnight access.

What to do next. MWBE and SDVOB electrical, conduit, sign-structure, low-voltage and traffic-protection firms should call Hellman Electric while the goals plan is being built, and firms new to MTA work should ask about the enhanced credit. Suppliers of signals, VMS boards, detectors and cameras should price to Hellman too. Watch C&D's awards page for the award.