§ 20-03 Contractor Verified Lists.
RCNY § 20-03
a. Purpose. At the outset of the City's Ida recovery process, homeowners reported that it was difficult to identify contractors willing and able to conduct necessary storm-related repairs. Accordingly, HRO has three Verified Lists ("VLs"), one each for (a) DCWP-licensed home improvement contractors, (b) DOB-licensed electricians, and (c) DOB-licensed plumbers (together, the "VL Contractors") able and willing to prioritize providing assistance to Ida-impacted homeowners. b. Definitions. For the purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings: Applicant. "Applicant" means a contractor applying to be admitted to a Verified List ("VL") established pursuant to this section. Contractor. Unless otherwise specified, "contractor" means a home improvement contractor, plumber or electrician. Electrician. "Electrician" means a master electrician licensed by the New York City Department of Buildings pursuant to Subchapter 1 of of the Administrative Code. Home improvement contractor. "Home improvement contractor" means a home improvement contractor licensed by the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection pursuant to Subchapter 22 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Administrative Code. Plumber. "Plumber" means a master plumber licensed by the New York City Department of Buildings pursuant to Article 408 of Chapter 4 of Title 28 of the Administrative Code. VL Contractor. "VL Contractor" means a contractor admitted to a Verified List ("VL") established pursuant to this section. c. VL Contractor Eligibility. To be eligible to be admitted to a VL, a contractor must meet the following requirements: 1. Be a licensed home improvement contractor, plumber, or electrician; 2. Have and maintain all required business and trade licenses and registrations; 3. Provide services in Staten Island, the Bronx, Queens, and/or Brooklyn; 4. Not be subject to any debarments or investigations by DOI; and 5. In the case of a contractor registered in the City's contracting portal, PASSPort, have no outstanding negative performance evaluations or debarments listed in PASSPort or the City's prior system of record, Vendex. d. VL Contractor Certifications. To join a VL, an eligible contractor must certify that they will: 1. Promptly address any questions and provide any documents upon request from DOB, DOI, and/or HRO; 2. Undertake and complete no fewer than three Ida-related home repair projects; 3. Respond to any inquiry from an Ida-impacted homeowner within 24 hours of receiving such inquiry; 4. Obtain any permits necessary to complete the homeowner's scope of work within 24 hours of signing a contract with the homeowner; 5. Complete the scope of work, including obtaining all necessary permit approvals and/or sign-offs, within 3 months of the date that the contract was signed by both parties; and 6. Certify to HRO that the completed scope of work for the contract in question included repair of Ida-related damage. e. VL Contractor Selection Criteria.
1.Eligible contractors, as described in subdivision c of this section, who make the certifications required by subdivision d of this section, shall be admitted to the VLs in the order in which their applications to participate are received by DOB until each VL contains at least 50 contractors. An eligible contractor who seeks to challenge their failure to be admitted to a VL may bring such challenge only by following the issue resolution procedures described in 43 RCNY § 20-05.
2.HRO may add more eligible applicants to the VLs if, in its discretion, it believes the VLs require additional contractors to serve their purpose. f. City Payments to VL Contractors.
3.The maximum amount that a VL Contractor may receive from the City pursuant to this section is $20,000. g. Funding Priority. The payments described in subdivision f of this section are subject to the availability of funding. h. Verification. HRO may seek additional verification of any certification that a VL Contractor submits, including but not limited to determining whether the building or dwelling unit in question was damaged by Hurricane Ida and whether the work completed repaired damage from Hurricane Ida. Such verification may include but not be limited to site visits, review of receipts, and homeowner interviews. i. Voluntary Withdrawal. A VL Contractor may ask to be withdrawn from a VL at any time. The City will remove such contractor from the VL when the City updates such VL. j. Compliance.
