B-132448, JUL. 10, 1957
Highlights
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: REFERENCE IS MADE TO YOUR LETTER OF JULY 5. YOU STATE THAT WHEN THE BIDS WERE EXAMINED BY THE CONTRACTING OFFICER HE NOTED THAT THE BID SUBMITTED BY THE CHICAGO OFFSET PRINTING COMPANY WAS PROBABLY IN ERROR BECAUSE IT WAS MUCH LOWER THAN THE NEXT LOW BID OF $3. THE COMPANY WAS REQUESTED BY TELEGRAM TO REVIEW THE SPECIFICATIONS AND CONFIRM ITS BID PRICE. THAT ON THE SAME DAY THE COMPANY ADVISED BY TELEGRAM THAT ITS BID PRICE FOR THE FOLDERS SHOULD HAVE BEEN $5. THE COMPANY STATED THAT AN ERROR IN ADDITION WAS MADE ON ITS ESTIMATE SHEET. THE COMPANY SUBMITTED ITS ORIGINAL JOB ESTIMATE SHEET WHICH SHOWS VARIOUS ITEMS OF COST AND THE AGGREGATE TOTAL OF SUCH PRICES IS SHOWN AS BEING $2.
B-132448, JUL. 10, 1957
TO HONORABLE RAYMOND BLATTENBERGER, PUBLIC PRINTER, GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE:
REFERENCE IS MADE TO YOUR LETTER OF JULY 5, 1957, WITH ENCLOSURES, REQUESTING A DECISION AS TO THE ACTION TO BE TAKEN CONCERNING AN ERROR WHICH THE CHICAGO OFFSET PRINTING COMPANY ALLEGES IT MADE IN ITS BID OPENED ON JUNE 28, 1957.
THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE REQUESTED BIDS UNDER JACKET NO. 428632 FOR THE PRODUCTION OF 2,000,000 COPIES OF A 4-PAGE FOLDER. IN RESPONSE THE CHICAGO OFFSET PRINTING COMPANY SUBMITTED A BID DATED JUNE 25, 1957, OFFERING TO FURNISH THE FOLDERS FOR THE LUMP SUM OF $2,855. THE ABSTRACT OF BIDS SHOWS THAT THE SIX OTHER BIDS FOR FURNISHING THE FOLDERS RANGED FROM $3,497.53 TO $5,190.
YOU STATE THAT WHEN THE BIDS WERE EXAMINED BY THE CONTRACTING OFFICER HE NOTED THAT THE BID SUBMITTED BY THE CHICAGO OFFSET PRINTING COMPANY WAS PROBABLY IN ERROR BECAUSE IT WAS MUCH LOWER THAN THE NEXT LOW BID OF $3,497.53 AND THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE ESTIMATE OF $3,556; THAT ON JULY 1, 1957, THE COMPANY WAS REQUESTED BY TELEGRAM TO REVIEW THE SPECIFICATIONS AND CONFIRM ITS BID PRICE; AND THAT ON THE SAME DAY THE COMPANY ADVISED BY TELEGRAM THAT ITS BID PRICE FOR THE FOLDERS SHOULD HAVE BEEN $5,855. IN A CONFIRMING LETTER DATED JULY 2, 1957, IN WHICH IT REQUESTED THAT ITS BID PRICE BE CORRECTED TO READ $5,855, THE COMPANY STATED THAT AN ERROR IN ADDITION WAS MADE ON ITS ESTIMATE SHEET. SUPPORT OF ITS ALLEGATION OF ERROR, THE COMPANY SUBMITTED ITS ORIGINAL JOB ESTIMATE SHEET WHICH SHOWS VARIOUS ITEMS OF COST AND THE AGGREGATE TOTAL OF SUCH PRICES IS SHOWN AS BEING $2,855. THE CORRECT AGGREGATE TOTAL OF SUCH PRICES IS $5,855.
ON THE RECORD, THERE IS NO ROOM FOR DOUBT THAT THE COMPANY MADE AN ERROR IN ITS BID, AS ALLEGED. ACCORDINGLY, SINCE IT WAS BELIEVED THAT THE BID OF THE CHICAGO OFFSET PRINTING COMPANY WAS ERRONEOUS, AND SINCE SUCH BELIEF WAS CONFIRMED AND THE ERROR WAS EXPLAINED BY THE BIDDER PRIOR TO AWARD, THE BID OF THE COMPANY MAY BE DISREGARDED IN MAKING AWARD.
THE PAPERS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE COMPANY'S LETTER OF JULY 2, 1957, AND ITS ESTIMATE SHEET, ARE RETURNED.