Two modest state jobs opened two weeks apart this month, and between them the Office of General Services counted 48 bids. Both carry 15% MBE and 15% WBE goals in OGS's utilization plans.

On Jan. 14, contract 47576-C: replace the roof at the site OGS lists as Region 10 Hauppauge, PMF, 140 Nicon Court in Hauppauge, Suffolk County. Twenty-five bids. Melange Restoration Inc. is the apparent low at $981,237. Mark Contracting NY read second at $1,146,237, but OGS's tab marks that bid "BID DISQUALIFIED - Other - Non-Responsive." Next come Northstar Contracting Corp. at $1,187,000, DME Construction Associates at $1,287,926 and KS Construction of NY at $1,308,000. The high is Euro Castle Construction Corp. at $2,649,712, 170.0% over the low; the median is $1,673,237. Melange's number sits $205,763, or 21.0%, under Northstar's, the lowest bid without a flag. The tab also notes a missing surety statement on Vad Contractors' bid and, as an informality, an incorrect or missing DOL registration number on Niko K Construction's.

On Jan. 28, contract Q1978-C: replace sidewalks and resurface the east parking lot at Building 144, the Cook Chill Production Center, 145 Old Orangeburg Road in Orangeburg, Rockland County. Twenty-three bids. Zee Skyline Contracting Corp. is the apparent low at $554,786, and Melange Restoration is second at $598,200, $43,414 or 7.8% higher. Boyce Excavating is third at $714,338 and Environmental Construction fourth at $743,699. The high is Cube Construction Services at $1,601,987, a 188.8% spread; the median is $878,602. The tab flags four bids with bid-form notes and none as disqualified: Boyce (improper corporate acknowledgment, no DCA-3, DOL registration number), Environmental and Paladino Concrete Creations (no financial statement of surety) and Jorrey Excavating (addendum not acknowledged).

The Cook Chill Production Center is a central food-processing plant run by the Office of Mental Health's Bureau of Nutrition Services since October 1994. It prepares meals for OMH facilities, other state agencies and nonprofits, about 60 meal sites from Buffalo to Long Island.

Why this matters. Sub-$2 million state roofing and paving work is where a lot of small contractors live, and 25 and 23 bidders show how crowded it is. The spreads, 170% and 189%, show how differently those contractors read the same drawings. On both tabs the bottom of the field was separated from the pack by tens of thousands of dollars, not millions, so every line item counts.

What to do next. Neither apparent low is an award, and the roof tab has a disqualified second bid to sort out. Roofing subs and suppliers should price to Melange and Northstar; paving, concrete and striping subs to Zee Skyline and Melange. Both jobs are on our board: RFI-000840 (roof) and RFI-000820 (sidewalks and lot).

Update, Sept. 28, 2026: OGS's roof tab now marks Melange's bid withdrawn. OGS lists 47576-C as awarded June 2, 2026, with its utilization plan naming NorthStar Contracting Corp. at $1,187,000, and Q1978-C as awarded March 10, 2026, with its plan naming Zee Skyline Contracting Corp. at $554,786.