NYC Parks has renewed two of its tree-damaged sidewalk contracts, and neither came back at the old price. The City Record carried the award notices on Aug. 31 for Staten Island and Sept. 15 for Queens. These are renewals, not new bids: the same contractors, the same work, a new two-year term.

Queens, QG-1523M renewal (84624B0022001R001). D&G Elite Construction, $6,159,109 in the City Record notice ($6,159,108.56 in the city's procurement portal), registered Sept. 8 with a term of Aug. 12, 2026 to Aug. 10, 2028. The original contract, bid in November 2023 against a published estimate range of $5 million to $10 million, went to the same firm for $5,684,923 in July 2024. The renewal runs 8.3% above the original award. Board listing: RFI-002382.

Staten Island, RG-423M renewal (84624B0031001R001). Apache Environmental & Development LLC, $5,600,370 in the notice ($5,600,369.86 in the portal), registered Aug. 24 with a term of July 15, 2026 to July 14, 2028. The original, bid in late 2023 against an estimate range of $3 million to $5 million, went to Apache for $4,898,980 in July 2024. The renewal is 14.3% higher. The city's portal lists Apache as a Hispanic-owned MBE.

Both originals were competitive sealed bids carrying Local Law 1 M/WBE participation goals and apprenticeship requirements, according to their City Record solicitations. The portal shows the 2024 contracts nearly fully spent before they ran out: $5,607,036.83 of $5,684,923 in Queens and $4,851,776.50 of $4,898,980 on Staten Island.

The work is Parks' Trees and Sidewalks program: fixing sidewalks lifted by city street-tree roots. Parks' own program page says funding is limited, repairs go only to severe damage in front of owner-occupied one-to-three-family homes, and each site is rated on a 1-to-100 scale, with the highest ratings fixed first.

Why this matters. A renewal is the agency deciding the incumbent is doing the job and the price still works, so these two contracts do not come back to the street for another two years. For anyone who wanted a shot at Queens or Staten Island tree-root work, that door is shut until 2028. The price increases, 8.3% and 14.3%, are a fair read on what two years of labor and concrete did to this kind of work.

What to do next. Concrete, curb, tree-pit and trucking subs and suppliers work through D&G Elite in Queens and Apache on Staten Island. Contractors chasing this work elsewhere should watch the City Record for Parks' other borough tree-damaged sidewalk packages as their terms come due.