Request for Rescission of Contract Due to Error in Bid

A contractor requested rescission of a contract, alleging that it made a mistake in its bid in that it intended to bid on a different item. Rescission of a contract, based on a unilateral mistake, can only be allowed if the contracting officer had actual or constructive notice of an error. Since the contracting officer was not placed on notice of an error where the high bid for the used surplus property was only two times greater than the next bid and 1.39 times above the current market appraisal, the contract may not be rescinded.