NYC Build It Back – Brooklyn, New York

build it back laland baptiste

NYC Build It Back – Brooklyn, New York

Client: New York City Department of Design and Construction

Laland Baptiste supported the New York City, Department of Design and Construction’s NYC Build It Back Program. The program is funded by the Federal Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) bill passed by the U.S. Congress. The program’s goal is to assist homeowners, landlords, and tenants in the five boroughs return to safe, sustainable housing by addressing unmet housing recovery needs. The participants agreed to partake in the Mayor’s Office of Housing Recovery Operations (HRO) rehabilitation plan.

The Build-it-Back Program worked on a range of home projects for those affected by Superstorm Sandy. The projects ranged from relatively moderate improvements, such as replacing interior materials and relocating utilities within the building structure, to much more extensive and complex projects, including rebuilding and elevating existing homes.

Laland Baptiste provided services including:

  • Cost estimation of damages
  • Procurement
  • Program Advisement
  • Hiring Plan Management
  • Inspection Services

The scope of work included renovations, repairs, and demo/rebuilds of residential homes affected by Hurricane Sandy. We were part of a CM at-risk team that was focused on restoring each residence as soon as possible.

This $200 million project (estimated), started in 2014 and is still ongoing. We had a large team of individuals that provided a variety of services, from inspections, to document control, accounting, and regulatory compliance.

We added value not only through our inspections of work and ensuring expedited contractor payment, but also with expediting designs, design reviews, damage assessments, post-approval amendments, and expedited DOB approvals.

Project challenges included working with homeowners and assuring them that together, we can get them back in a more resilient home as soon as possible. This involved ongoing collaboration with the program team and homeowner involvement.

We brought to the program our extensive network of MWDBE businesses, which the client cited as invaluable to their ability to find qualified MWDBE businesses to meet MWDBE participation goals.

Read what our client has to say about the NYC Build it Back (BIB) program:

“The BIB program has stringent participation goals for Minority, Women, and Disadvantaged (MWDBE) businesses. Laland Baptiste has established contacts with an extensive network of MWBDE businesses, and their resources have been invaluable to us. We have confidence in their knowledge and in their ability to successfully meet the goals for multiple aspects of complex construction management projects.” – Client Quote

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