Two mechanical contractors are telling subs the exact same story: get your numbers in, the CUNY Baruch College boiler and asbestos abatement job bids November 3. Maric Mechanical put out its outreach ad first. Boilermatic Welding followed with its own ad for sub bids — same scope, same campus, same date.
The project is DASNY's South Campus Boilers and Asbestos Abatement job at CUNY Baruch College, and the agency's own bid-opening schedule confirms a single November 3 date. What it doesn't make obvious from either outreach ad alone is that two primes are running parallel sub-solicitation campaigns for what reads, on paper, like one job.
“A sub quoting this job may get called twice, by two different primes, for two different possible GC bids on the same contract.”
That's not necessarily a red flag. DASNY construction bids are often open to multiple general contractors competing for the same single-prime award — each one lining up its own subcontractor pricing before submitting a competitive bid. If that's what's happening here, a sub quoting this job may get called twice, by two different primes, for two different possible GC bids on the same contract. Worth knowing before you quote it the same number twice and wonder why.
The practical move for a sub: don't treat either ad as the only game in town. Call both primes, get on both bid lists, and price accordingly — if Maric wins, you're in; if Boilermatic wins, you're in. Either way, your number needs to go to whoever actually wins the GC slot, not just whoever asked first.
For a prime watching this from outside, it's a reminder that CUNY and DASNY boiler jobs this size draw real competition — plan on it when estimating your own markup, and expect subs in the mechanical trades to already be fielding calls from more than one direction.