B-125855, OCT. 28, 1955

B-125855, OCT. 28, 1955

TO HONORABLE RAYMOND BLATTENBERGER, PUBLIC PRINTER:

REFERENCE IS MADE TO A LETTER DATED OCTOBER 21, 1955, WITH ENCLOSURES, FROM THE ACTING PUBLIC PRINTER, REQUESTING A DECISION AS TO THE ACTION TO BE TAKEN REGARDING AN ERROR THE PHILLY LITHO COMPANY, 234-236 NORTH TENTH STREET, PHILADELPHIA, 7, PENNSYLVANIA, ALLEGES IT MADE IN ITS BID OPENED ON OCTOBER 12, 1955.

IN RESPONSE TO INVITATION TO BID, JACKET NO. 359-285, THE COMPANY OFFERED TO FURNISH 3,000 COPIES OF A BOOK CONTAINING 146 PAGES FOR A COST OF $268. NINE OTHER BIDS WERE RECEIVED WHICH RANGED IN PRICE FROM $400 TO $763.50. IT IS REPORTED THAT WHEN THE BIDS WERE EXAMINED BY THE CONTRACTING OFFICER HE NOTED THAT THE BID FROM THE PHILLY LITHO COMPANY WAS POSSIBLY IN ERROR BECAUSE THE BID WAS OUT OF LINE WITH THE OTHER BIDS RECEIVED AND WITH THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE ESTIMATE OF $613.05. OCTOBER 13, 1955, A TELEGRAM WAS FORWARDED TO THE COMPANY REQUESTING THEM TO REVIEW THE SPECIFICATIONS AND TO CONFIRM THEIR BID PRICE ON THE JOB.

IN A LETTER DATED OCTOBER 13, 1955, THE COMPANY CONFIRMED THAT AN ERROR HAD BEEN MADE IN FIGURING THE PLATES, MAKE READIES, AND COLLATING WORK, AND ADVISED THAT THEIR BID PRICE SHOULD BE $548.37 INSTEAD OF $268. THE BIDDER SUBMITTED THE ESTIMATE SHEET ON WHICH THE ORIGINAL QUOTATION WAS BASED, ALSO THEIR ESTIMATE SHEET ON WHICH THE REVISED QUOTATION WAS BASED.

IT IS REPORTED THAT THE BIDDER'S ESTIMATE SHEET SUBSTANTIATES ITS STATEMENT THAT IT MADE AN ERROR IN FIGURING THE PLATEMAKING AND MAKE READIES, AND IN OMITTING THE COST OF COLLATING, THE GOVERNMENT'S ESTIMATE FOR WHICH ALONE AMOUNTS TO $503.70 AND FOR WHICH THE BIDDER'S REVISED ESTIMATE INCLUDES $465. FURTHER, THE BIDDER STATES THAT IN REFIGURING THE JOB HE WOULD RUN IT IN CHECKERBOARD FASHION AND FOLD AND STITCH, WHICH IS THE CHEAPEST WAY, BUT THIS METHOD WOULD INCREASE THEIR COST OF PRINTING. THE CONTRACTING OFFICER REPORTS THAT THIS STATEMENT IS CORRECT AND THAT THE REVISED ESTIMATE IS FIGURED ON THAT BASIS AND THAT THE PRICES AND OPERATIONS ON THE REVISED ESTIMATE SHEET ARE FAIR AND ARE NECESSARY FOR THE COMPLETION OF THE JOB.

ON THE BASIS OF THE FACTS AND EVIDENCE OF RECORD THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THE PHILLY LITHO COMPANY MADE AN ERROR IN COMPUTING ITS BID PRICE. ACCORDINGLY, SINCE THE ERROR WAS ALLEGED PROMPTLY AND EXPLAINED SATISFACTORILY PRIOR TO AWARD, THE BID OF THE COMPANY MAY BE DISREGARDED.

THE PAPERS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE BIDDER'S LETTER OF OCTOBER 13, 1955, AND THE TWO ESTIMATE SHEETS, ARE RETURNED AS REQUESTED.