The single biggest open job on our board closes next week, and it's worth a second look before it does. OGS's National Guard Division Headquarters on Heritage Lane in Albany — project 47637-C — carries a published estimate of $110 million to $120 million, single prime, under a Project Labor Agreement, with bids due October 21.
That PLA detail is the whole story for who can actually chase this. A Project Labor Agreement means whichever firm wins signs onto union terms for the life of the job regardless of its own shop status — a standard OGS move on nine-figure state work, but it narrows the practical bidder pool to firms that already run union crews or are comfortable double-breasting for the duration. Single prime means one GC holds the whole $110-120 million scope and self-performs or subs out every trade underneath it, rather than the owner cutting separate HVAC, electrical, and plumbing contracts.
This is the kind of job where the sub opportunity is bigger than the GC opportunity for most readers of this paper. A single prime at this size means the winning GC will be assembling a subcontractor roster worth tens of millions before groundbreaking — electrical, mechanical, structural steel, sitework all get let out under whoever takes the prime. Firms that want in should be positioning now, before October 21, not after an award.
Bids are due October 21 at OGS Design & Construction. Any firm bidding the prime or looking to sub under it should pull the bid documents now — a PLA job this size runs a mandatory pre-bid conference and addenda process that rewards early attention.