NYU Tandon’s IDC Innovation Hub awarded New Master Construction Innovation Contract with NYC Department of Design and Construction

BROOKLYN, New York, Monday, June 14, 2022 – The Federal infrastructure bill is poised to deliver a much-needed boost to New York City’s efforts to renovate, build, and improve its infrastructure. A recently registered Master Applied Construction Innovation Research Services Contract between the New York City Department of Design and Construction/Town+Gown: NYC and the Institute of Design & Construction Innovation Hub (Innovation Hub) at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering will speed progress by providing all New York City construction agencies and authorities with efficient access to applied research services for innovation in construction, engineering design, and management. The contract is aimed at improving efficiency and cost control, while emphasizing sustainability, fiscal responsibility, and safety. It is also available for use by all New York State construction agencies and authorities.

The new Master Contract allows the Innovation Hub’s collaborative platform to bring faculty, staff, and other academic researchers, as well as Innovation Hub industry member organizations from the architectural/engineering/construction community, together with NYC construction agencies for practice-based innovation research in construction, engineering design, and management. Research projects developed through this Contract also will afford NYU Tandon students the opportunity to immerse themselves in implementing solutions to real-world construction challenges.

The New York City Department of Design and Construction (NYC DDC) is the administrator of the new Master Contract with Town+Gown, the city-wide university-community partnership program.

Dr. Michael Horodniceanu, PE, professor of civil and urban engineering and Founding Chair of the Innovation Hub at NYU Tandon, explained that the new multi-year Master Contract presents a win for both New York and NYU by providing the City and State with opportunities to tap into the expertise of the academic research community and NYU Tandon students to apply research breakthroughs to real-world applications. The Master Contract’s structure streamlines the procurement process, shortening the timeline from an agency’s identification of a research need and getting the research team on board to execute the project.

“We are most excited to partner with NYC’s construction agencies and authorities to assist in becoming nimbler in addressing engineering and construction challenges — be they for responding effectively to natural events or finding innovative ways to improve the quality of life in the city,” said Horodniceanu. “It means that once an agency or authority wants to do something, it can call upon this contract by using a form RFP (request for proposal) with a scope of work and receiving a proposal in response from the Innovation Hub very quickly — a process that a standalone procurement would take significantly more time to accomplish.”

Thomas Foley, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Design and Construction said, “With environmental sustainability and resiliency and other concerns, this is a critical time in construction innovation, and this new master contract will provide City agencies with academic research services to support that innovation. We’re very pleased to partner with NYU to put this resource into place so that new construction concepts and ideas can be explored more quickly and within a controlled, academic setting.”

About the Institute of Design & Construction Innovation Hub

The IDC Innovation Hub at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering is a membership-based and industry-supported academic research entity that conducts applied and practice-based research within its collaborative platform of faculty and industry members who are experienced and independent experts on innovation in construction, engineering design, and management aimed at improving efficiency and cost control while emphasizing sustainability, fiscal responsibility, and safety. idc.engineering.nyu.edu

About the New York University Tandon School of Engineering

The NYU Tandon School of Engineering dates to 1854, the founding date for both the New York University School of Civil Engineering and Architecture and the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute. A January 2014 merger created a comprehensive school of education and research in engineering and applied sciences as part of a global university, with close connections to engineering programs at NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai. NYU Tandon is rooted in a vibrant tradition of entrepreneurship, intellectual curiosity, and innovative solutions to humanity’s most pressing global challenges. Research at Tandon focuses on vital intersections between communications/IT, cybersecurity, and data science/AI/robotics systems and tools and critical areas of society that they influence, including emerging media, health, sustainability, and urban living. We believe diversity is integral to excellence, and are creating a vibrant, inclusive, and equitable environment for all of our students, faculty and staff. engineering.nyu.edu.