New York public works bidding requirements

Competitive bidding threshold

Public work costing more than $35,000 must be advertised for sealed bids and awarded to the lowest responsible bidder, under General Municipal Law §103.¹ Purchases that aren’t public work have a separate, lower threshold — more than $20,000.²

Award standard

Contracts under §103 go to the lowest responsible bidder. Some purchase contracts can instead be awarded on a “best value” basis where the law allows — but not purchases tied to public work under Labor Law Article 8.³

Document distribution & addenda

Once a project is advertised under §103, the plans and specifications are made available to prospective bidders and the agency keeps a plan holder list of everyone who obtained them. To preserve competitive equality, every answer to a bidder question and every addendum must go to all plan holders — an agency cannot give some bidders information the others lack.⁶

Multiple-prime contracts (Wicks Law)

New York’s Wicks Law makes public owners award separate prime contracts for (1) plumbing and gas fitting, (2) HVAC, and (3) electrical work — on projects above a regional threshold.⁴

Prevailing wage

Public work in New York must pay prevailing wage under Labor Law Article 8. There’s no dollar threshold — it applies to any public work contract, whatever the size.

Record of change

In Lynch, Inc. v. Maine-Endwell CSD (Appellate Division, Third Department, May 2026), the court held that GML §103(16) “piggybacking” can’t be used for public works construction — it covers only apparatus, materials, equipment, or supplies. The ruling binds the Third Department’s 28 counties and is persuasive statewide. Separately, the §103(16) sunset was extended to June 30, 2027.

1. Verified

   Jul 8, 2026

   Reviewed addenda section: kept the plan-holder distribution rule; removed an unverified seven-day bid-extension figure not stated in General Municipal Law §103.

2. Verified

   Jul 7, 2026

   Page created and verified against current statute; Wicks tiers, §103 thresholds, and Article 8 confirmed.

3. Court

   May 21, 2026

   Third Department bars §103(16) piggybacking for public works construction (Lynch v. Maine-Endwell).

4. Threshold

   Jul 1, 2008

   Wicks Law tiers took effect at their current levels ($3M / $1.5M / $500K).

Sources

1. 1. NY State Senate — General Municipal Law §103. nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/GMU/103
2. 2. NYS Office of the State Comptroller — Seeking Competition in Procurement; piggybacking guidance. osc.ny.gov
3. 3. FindLaw — General Municipal Law §103 (annotated). codes.findlaw.com/ny/general-municipal-law
4. 4. NY State Senate — State Finance Law §135 — Wicks Law. nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/STF/135
5. 5. NYC Procurement Policy Board — PPB Rules. nyc.gov/site/mocs
6. 6. NYS Association of Counties — Purchasing and competitive bidding — addenda to plan holders. nysac.org

Frequently asked

What is the competitive bidding threshold for public works in New York?

More than $35,000 for public work contracts by political subdivisions, under General Municipal Law §103. Purchase (non-work) contracts carry a separate threshold of more than $20,000.

What is the Wicks Law?

A New York law requiring separate prime contracts for plumbing, HVAC, and electrical work on public projects above tiered thresholds — $3M in New York City, $1.5M in Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester, and $500K elsewhere.

Does New York require prevailing wages on public works?

Yes. Public work is subject to prevailing wage under Labor Law Article 8.

Do addenda have to go to every bidder in New York?

Yes. To keep the bidding fair, every addendum and answer to a bidder question must be issued to all plan holders so no bidder has information the others lack.