The SCA priced another job at exactly $4,000,001 this week. That's the third time in recent days — Peter G. Van Alst PS 171 in Queens joins Philip H. Sheridan PS 021 in the Bronx and PS 032 in Queens, all carrying the identical estimate-low figure of $4,000,001, and all due within a day of each other, September 29 and 30.
One job at that number could be a coincidence. Three is a pattern, and it's almost certainly a procurement threshold — a dollar figure just above whatever cutoff triggers a different review tier or contracting rule at the SCA. Estimators who've bid SCA work before will recognize the move: engineers price to just clear a line, not to reflect what the job actually costs.
“Different scopes, same number — engineers price to just clear a line, not to reflect what the job actually costs.”
PS 171's scope is bigger than a typical exterior job — DCAS electrification, heat pump systems, flood elimination, an electrical service upgrade, and fire alarm upgrades, all in one contract. That's a full mechanical and electrical overhaul bundled together, which likely explains why it clears the same threshold as a roofs-and-masonry job at Sheridan and an interior/exterior repair package at PS 032. Different scopes, same number.
If you're bidding any of these three, know you're not the only shop noticing the identical estimate. And if the SCA is deliberately pricing at $4,000,001 to stay just above a threshold, that's worth asking your SCA rep about directly — it may signal a review tier that adds time to award, which matters for anyone trying to plan a spring 2027 mobilization.