The State University Construction Fund opened 18 bids in Albany on September 2 to replace steam boilers 3 and 4 in the physical plant at SUNY Maritime College, Fort Schuyler, in the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx (Fund project Maritime 211057-00). The lowest total on the sheet, ENL Mechanical Incorporated at $5,974,000, is marked "Rejected Bid." The Fund's results sheet gives no reason. That makes Dynamic US, Inc. the lowest standing bid at $6,988,300.
Every total on this tab has two parts: the firm's base bid plus a $390,200 field order allowance, which is a fixed amount the Fund sets aside for changes in the field. It is identical on all 18 bids, so the base bids are where the firms actually differ. Dynamic's base was $6,598,100. Boilermatic Welding Industries was second at $7,311,000 total, $322,700 (4.6%) behind. Then the numbers jump. AWL Industries was third at $8,874,200, which is $1,563,200 above Boilermatic. ACS System Associates was high at $12,335,200. Among the 17 standing bids, the spread is $5,346,900, or 76.5% from low to high.
Most of the field sat together. Twelve of the 17 standing bids landed between $8,874,200 and $10,528,000: AWL, Kordun Construction, All State Construction (doing business as All State Boiler & Construction), Maric Mechanical, C.D.E. Air Conditioning, BOND Civil & Utility Construction, Infinity Contracting Services, Richards Plumbing and Heating, Tameer, Central Mechanical Systems, Interstate Mechanical Services and Rocon Corp. The middle bid was Infinity's $9,956,200. Dynamic came in about 30% under it. Above the pack were Maric Plumbing & Heating at $11,497,400, A.K.S. International at $11,830,200 and ACS at $12,335,200.
The field was not all local. All State lists a Connecticut address, BOND lists Massachusetts and ENL lists New Jersey. The Fund's sheet marks two bidders as minority-owned businesses: Tameer and ACS System Associates. The results sheet does not list the job's M/WBE or SDVOB goals. Those are in the bid documents.
Why this matters. Eighteen firms chasing two boilers tells you downstate mechanical contractors want this kind of work. The tab also lines up with a CUNY job DASNY opened six days earlier. At the Namm Building heating job at City Tech on August 27, Dynamic US was low at $21,440,000, AWL was third and Maric Mechanical was sixth. At Maritime, Dynamic is the lowest standing bid, AWL is third and Maric Mechanical is sixth again. Infinity was eighth at Namm and ninth here. Between the two openings, Dynamic is the apparent low on about $28.4 million of campus mechanical work in one week. A shop pricing both jobs at once should expect to be asked about capacity.
What to do next. An apparent low is not an award. The Fund marks awarded jobs "Awarded" on this same results sheet, and as of September 28 the Maritime job carries no such mark. Subs and suppliers on boiler, steam piping, controls and insulation work should price to Dynamic US. Do not chase the rejected low bid unless the Fund's record changes. The Fund's current bid calendar has one New York City job on it: a qualifications round for facade rehabilitation and roof replacement at SUNY College of Optometry, estimated at $5 million to $10 million, with qualifications due October 6.