You sent the QEWI report to three contractors, and the three proposals that came back look nothing alike. Part of the board already has a favorite and wants to vote tonight. Before anyone does, find out whether the three proposals describe the same job. Usually they don't.

This guide is written for FISP repairs, but it works for any façade job with a report or a set of drawings behind it.

Why do façade proposals look so different?

Because each contractor read the report differently and guessed differently. One covered every condition. Another covered half and plans to add the rest as change orders. A third assumed less hidden damage behind the brick, or left out the shed. None of that shows on a cover page. (We explain what shapes the scope of a façade job in a separate article, and our façade restoration cost guide covers what the work tends to cost, plus the city's fees and penalties.)

How do you get every contractor to answer the same scope?

Send everyone the same request package:

  • the full QEWI report, with photos and condition numbers
  • any engineer's drawings or specifications
  • your deadlines: filing window, any Unsafe correction date, shed permit dates
  • site constraints: retail hours, terraces, landmark status, neighbor access
  • a proposal form that lists every condition by the report's numbering

Then walk the building with every contractor, ideally on the same day, and send your answers to everyone's questions in writing.

When the proposals come back, read the method as closely as the line items. Ask each contractor how it will carry out each type of repair, and with what materials. How does a lintel come out and go back in? What mortar goes into the joints, and how is it matched? How does stone get patched or re-anchored? Two proposals with identical line items can describe very different work.

How should a proposal handle hidden conditions?

With units for the work nobody can measure until the wall is open. Typical units are per brick replaced, per square foot of masonry rebuilt, per linear foot of lintel or shelf angle, per square foot of stone or concrete patch, per anchor installed and per probe opened.

Units turn surprises into work that gets counted and photographed. Compare them across proposals, and ask what quantity each contractor assumed in its base scope. A proposal that looks lean because it assumed almost no hidden damage will look very different once the first lintel comes out.

What's included in access and protection?

Access is one of the lines that varies most between proposals (our access and scaffolding page explains the options). Ask each contractor to spell out:

  • sheds, netting or suspended scaffold, and how many setups or drops
  • who holds the shed permit (they're issued to registered general contractors) and who handles the 90-day renewals and progress reports
  • rigging by or under a licensed rigger, with the license number
  • crew training: suspended scaffold users need the DOB 16-hour course, with an 8-hour refresher every 4 years
  • neighbor access agreements, if the work needs an adjoining roof
  • removal of protection and sidewalk restoration at the end

Who files which permits?

Get it in writing. Your engineer or architect usually prepares the construction documents. Someone still has to file the DOB work permit, the shed permit, any DOT permits and, on a landmarked building, the LPC application. Ask who files each one and how long each contractor has allowed for approval. If a proposal says nothing about permits, it has left them to you.

Is the schedule tied to your deadlines?

A useful schedule starts from your dates and works backward: your FISP filing window, a 90-day Unsafe correction date and any extension, and, for a shed first permitted on or after January 12, 2026, the Local Law 51 milestones (construction documents in 5 months, a permit application in 8, repairs finished in 2 years). It should also show when each section of protection comes down. Ask how the contractor handles winter and the DOT holiday construction embargo (November 15, 2026 to January 2, 2027 on designated streets).

What do the exclusions and assumptions say?

Read these line by line. "Excludes unforeseen conditions" with no units for hidden work means every surprise is a negotiation. "Excludes permits" or "excludes protection" hands a large part of the job, and its schedule, back to you. Ask each contractor to rewrite any vague exclusion in plain English.

How will changes be handled?

Ask for the change-order process in writing. A sound one goes like this: stop, photograph the condition, show your QEWI, measure it in the agreed units, and get written approval before doing the work. A contractor who can't describe the process will make one up as it goes, on your building.

What should you check before signing?

  • Insurance certificates, naming the parties your managing agent requires.
  • A safety plan for the access. Ask how the contractor will keep the sidewalk and residents protected while the shed and rig are up, and who inspects the rigging.
  • References on similar buildings. Ask the managing agent and the QEWI on those jobs how change orders and the schedule went.
  • DOB records. Look up the contractor's permits and violations in DOB's public systems.
  • Credentials that exist. "FISP certified" and "Local Law 11 certified" aren't credentials. QEWIs are New York State registered architects and engineers. Contractors hold specific registrations and licenses, and can show them to you.
  • Close-out records. Ask what you'll get at the end. You want photos of each repaired condition, keyed to the report's numbering, so your QEWI has what it needs to inspect and file.

If you want a format to send contractors, our How we work page shows how we lay out a proposal.

What are the red flags in a façade proposal?

Run each proposal through this checklist side by side.

Item What to ask for Red flag
Scope Every condition listed on the report's numbering A one-paragraph scope with no breakdown
Unknowns Units for hidden work and the quantity assumed in the base Hidden work left vague, with no units or quantities
Access Type, setups, permits, renewals, removal Access "by others" or not mentioned
Permits Who files DOB, shed, DOT and LPC permits Silence on permits
Schedule Built from your filing, Unsafe and shed dates A duration with no start or finish dates
Exclusions Specific, plain-English exclusions "Excludes unforeseen conditions" with nothing else
Changes Written, measured, approved before work No process described
Credentials Registrations, rigger, training cards, insurance Claims of "FISP certification"

Sources

This article is general information, not legal advice. Your QEWI and expediter confirm how the rules apply to your building.