Eight contractors bid Contract C26031, Second Avenue Subway Phase 1 Wrap Up at the 96th, 86th, 72nd and 63rd Street stations in Manhattan, when MTA Construction & Development opened it on March 25. J-Track LLC is the apparent low at an evaluated $20,684,480. ExterNetworks Inc. is second at $20,881,422.66, a gap of $196,942.66, or 0.95%. Nothing has been awarded yet.
Price is not what separated them. C26031 is an A+B contract, where the A is the construction price and the B puts a dollar value on the schedule the bidder commits to. ExterNetworks had the lowest A price on the tab at $12,513,153.66, $4.3 million under J-Track's $16,837,000. But J-Track's B was $3,847,480, while every other bidder came in between $7.6 million and $10.7 million. J-Track's faster schedule was worth $4.5 million against ExterNetworks on the evaluation, more than enough to cover its higher price.
The rest of the field by evaluated total, with A prices: TDP Associates $23,933,010 ($15,551,000 A); Infinity Contracting Services $24,905,636 ($16,716,000 A); Navillus Contracting $27,361,125 ($18,773,000 A); Paul J. Scariano $30,420,000 ($22,862,450 A); Technico Construction Services $31,016,375 ($22,771,775 A); and FOS Development $34,079,219 ($23,374,980 A). The high evaluated bid is 64.8% above the low, and the median is $26,133,380.50. The notice listed the work at $10 million to $50 million, 100% federally funded, with no participation goals and a maximum of 809 days to substantial completion. The bid date moved from Feb. 17 to the March 25 opening, and 26 firms held documents as of early January.
According to the solicitation notice, the contract completes structural, mechanical, electrical and communication upgrades at the four Q line stations. That means steel grab bars, ladders, hatch doors, guardrails and safety railings, waterproofing, HVAC upgrades, emergency exit lighting, power provisions and fire alarm modifications. It is closeout work on Phase 1 while Phase 2 moves ahead to the north. C&D awarded the $1.97 billion Phase 2 tunneling and structural shell contract to Connect Plus Partners in August 2025.
Why this matters. A $196,943 margin on an A+B job means the schedule decided it. Anyone bidding MTA A+B work should study this tab. The lowest construction price lost by less than 1% because a competitor committed to finishing faster, and the agency valued that time at millions of dollars.
What to do next. Miscellaneous metals, waterproofing, HVAC, electrical and fire alarm subs should price to J-Track's apparent low. With a short schedule on the line, the prime will want crews who can hold tight dates inside operating stations. Watch for the award; the apparent low is not one. The board listing is RFI-001898.