NYCEDC issued a request for proposals on August 21 for the disposition and development of the city-owned "B-East" site, a stretch of Second Avenue between East 125th and East 126th Streets in East Harlem. The ask: a development team to deliver roughly 140 mixed-income housing units plus ground-floor retail and community space.

Here's the thing about this one — it's not a GC bid. It's a development-team RFP, meaning the city picks a developer first and a general contractor comes later, once that developer is in place. Think of it like hiring the head chef before you staff the kitchen. An optional site visit already happened on August 18, and responses are due by 5 PM ET on Tuesday, October 20, 2026. The RFP carries a 30% M/WBE participation goal.

“Nobody's picked a GC yet — but the 30% MWBE number on this one is already locked in, and that's worth knowing before the developer's even named.”

So why should a GC or sub care about a developer selection three months out? Because that 30% number is already locked in, and it doesn't shrink later. Let's say this job ends up costing $50 million to build out — that's $15 million that has to route through MWBE-certified firms before anyone signs off on the job. Firms that get certified and visible now have a real head start once a developer names its team.

What to do: if you're chasing this scope, watch NYCEDC's RFP page for the developer selection, and if you're MWBE-certified, get on their radar through EDC's vendor resources now — outreach plans get built well before the first shovel. Once a GC is named, subcontractor opportunities would typically route through NYC PASSPort, so get that registration current while you wait.

Source: NYCEDC's press release announcing the RFP (edc.nyc), full solicitation at edc.nyc/rfps, and vendor resources at edc.nyc/vendor-resources.