While the big exterior jobs grab the headlines, the NYC School Construction Authority has been running a steady electrical program on the side. Between January 15 and June 12 it opened 48 IPDVS camera installation contracts, and the apparent low bids add up to $17,727,731. That's a lot of small jobs, and 45 different electrical contractors bid on them.

IPDVS stands for Internet Protocol Digital Video Surveillance. In plain words: networked cameras in school buildings that authorized school staff can watch live or play back from their own computers, with remote viewing from borough and central offices. The SCA's February 2025 capital plan amendment says the system was running in 833 buildings with more than 38,000 cameras as of October 1, 2024, with 373 more buildings in the design and construction pipeline for 2024 through 2026. The plan funds about 150 more buildings so that almost all remaining eligible schools are done by 2027, and a full technical refresh at an estimated 190 sites whose cameras went in between 2010 and 2012. The money sits in the Safety & Security line at $150.0 million, and the City Council's review of the February 2026 amendment shows that line unchanged.

Here's what the tabs show. The median apparent low was $349,500. The smallest was $159,000, from A.M.J Electric Corp on a Reso A package in Queens (26-026769); Reso A is capital money steered by the City Council and borough presidents. The biggest was $523,897, from ABM Electric, Inc. on a three-school Brooklyn package (26-026765). The 48 contracts drew 255 bids, a median of five per job. The thinnest had two bidders (26-026725, $419,000 against $430,000); the deepest had nine (26-026729). The median gap from first to second was 6.0%, and the median spread from low to high was 33.5%.

Nobody ran the table. JK Electrical, Inc. and Telecommunication Electrical Contractors LLC were apparent low four times each. ABM Electric, Inc., Om Electrical Contracting Services Corp and Metropolitan Electric of New York Inc. were low three times each. The busiest bidder was AAA'S Electrical Contracting Corp., on 16 of the 48 tabs without a first-place finish. Om bid 13; A.M.J Electric Corp, American Engineering Electrical Services Inc and JK Electrical, Inc. bid 11 apiece.

By borough, using the schools named in each solicitation title: Brooklyn had 16 contracts worth $6,226,252 in apparent low bids. Queens also had 16, worth $5,223,969. The Bronx had 11, worth $4,409,110. Manhattan had three, worth $1,129,500. Staten Island had two, worth $738,900. Most packages bundle two or three schools, and May was the busy month, with 18 openings. You can find one of the Brooklyn packages on our board as RFI-002514, and each of the 48 has its own listing.

Why this matters. These are right-sized jobs for a small or mid-size electrical shop: a few hundred thousand dollars, a couple of buildings, low-voltage and cabling work, and five bidders on a typical day. With 45 firms splitting 48 contracts, there's no lock on this program. If you do low-voltage work and you're not bidding these, somebody with your exact skill set is.

What to do next. Watch the SCA's advertised bids for more IPDVS packages; its anticipated contract awards list already carries more camera jobs in design, including a Reso A installation at P.S. 24 in Queens slated for July 2026. Apparent low is not an award, so if you're a supplier or a cabling sub, price to the low bidder and stay in touch with the second until award. Rack, camera and cable suppliers: the 45-firm bidder list on these tabs is your customer list.

Update, Sept. 28, 2026: The SCA's bid tabulations now show awards on all 48 contracts, totaling $18,144,172. Six went to a bidder other than the apparent low, and the tabs give no reason in any of the six: 26-026651 (Luz Electric & Control Systems, Inc. low at $248,820; awarded to Core Electric MEP Industries, LLC at $346,000), 26-026683 (Triple T Electric Inc low at $237,752; awarded to Om Electrical Contracting Services Corp at $363,770, the third bid), 26-026689 (Triple T Electric Inc low at $267,117; awarded to JK Electrical, Inc. at $394,750), 26-026720 (JK Electrical, Inc. low at $320,000; awarded to Eureka Electric Contracting Corp at $338,000), 26-026751 (Telecommunication Electrical Contractors LLC low at $328,500; awarded to Steel City Electrical Contracting Corp. at $335,000) and 26-026769 (A.M.J Electric Corp low at $159,000; awarded to Inwood Electric Corp at $200,110). On awards, Om Electrical Contracting Services Corp and JK Electrical, Inc. lead with four each.