B-134646, JAN. 6, 1958
Highlights
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: REFERENCE IS MADE TO YOUR LETTER OF DECEMBER 11. BECAUSE OF AN ERROR ALLEGED BY THE COMPANY TO HAVE BEEN MADE THEREIN. FIVE OTHER BIDS WERE RECEIVED. YOU STATE THAT WHEN THE BIDS WERE EXAMINED THE CONTRACTING OFFICER NOTED THAT THE BID FROM SOUTHWESTERN STAMP WORKS WAS PROBABLY IN ERROR BECAUSE ITS BID WAS OUT OF LINE WITH THE OTHER BIDS RECEIVED AND WITH THE PRICE OF $311.78 WHICH WAS THE AMOUNT PREVIOUSLY PAID BY THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE FOR THIS PARTICULAR TYPE AND QUANTITY OF IDENTIFICATION CARDS. THE COMPANY WAS REQUESTED TO REVIEW THE SPECIFICATIONS AND TO CONFIRM ITS BID ON THIS WORK. IN A TELEPHONE CONVERSATION WITH THE BIDDER THE CONTRACTING OFFICER WAS ADVISED THAT THE ERROR HAD OCCURRED IN TOTALING THE PRICES ON THE WORKSHEET.
B-134646, JAN. 6, 1958
TO HONORABLE RAYMOND BLATTENBERGER, PUBLIC PRINTER, GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE:
REFERENCE IS MADE TO YOUR LETTER OF DECEMBER 11, 1957, WITH ENCLOSURES, REQUESTING A DECISION AS TO WHETHER THERE MAY BE DISREGARDED A BID SUBMITTED BY SOUTHWESTERN STAMP WORKS, OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA, BECAUSE OF AN ERROR ALLEGED BY THE COMPANY TO HAVE BEEN MADE THEREIN.
ON NOVEMBER 21, 1957, THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE ADVERTISED FOR PRICES, UNDER JACKET NO. 447099, FOR THE PRODUCTION OF 10,025 SETS OF LAMINATED IDENTIFICATION CARDS TO BE PRINTED TWO SIDES, PLUS ONE OR TWO PIECE VINYL PLASTIC COVERS, FOR SHIPMENT ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER 23, 1957.
IN RESPONSE TO THE INVITATION, SOUTHWESTERN STAMP WORKS, UNDER DATE OF NOVEMBER 24, 1957, SUBMITTED A BID OF $197.61, ONE PERCENT SIXTY CALENDAR DAYS, FOR FURNISHING THE LOT OF 10,025 SETS, AND $17.60 FOR EACH ADDITIONAL THOUSAND. FIVE OTHER BIDS WERE RECEIVED, RANGING FROM $528.32 TO $852.12.
YOU STATE THAT WHEN THE BIDS WERE EXAMINED THE CONTRACTING OFFICER NOTED THAT THE BID FROM SOUTHWESTERN STAMP WORKS WAS PROBABLY IN ERROR BECAUSE ITS BID WAS OUT OF LINE WITH THE OTHER BIDS RECEIVED AND WITH THE PRICE OF $311.78 WHICH WAS THE AMOUNT PREVIOUSLY PAID BY THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE FOR THIS PARTICULAR TYPE AND QUANTITY OF IDENTIFICATION CARDS. NOVEMBER 29, 1957, THE COMPANY WAS REQUESTED TO REVIEW THE SPECIFICATIONS AND TO CONFIRM ITS BID ON THIS WORK. THE BIDDER REPLIED BY TELEGRAM DATED DECEMBER 2, 1957, IN WHICH IT ADVISED THAT THE FIRST FIGURE OF ITS BID SHOULD BE A FOUR AND THAT THE TOTAL SUM SHOULD BE $497.61, ONE PERCENT SIXTY DAYS, AND ADDITIONAL QUANTITIES AS SHOWN IN THE COMPANY'S ORIGINAL BID. IN A TELEPHONE CONVERSATION WITH THE BIDDER THE CONTRACTING OFFICER WAS ADVISED THAT THE ERROR HAD OCCURRED IN TOTALING THE PRICES ON THE WORKSHEET. THE BIDDER REQUESTED THAT HE BE PERMITTED TO CORRECT HIS QUOTATION, AND HE CONFIRMED THIS REQUEST IN A LETTER DATED DECEMBER 4, 1957, AND SUBMITTED A PHOTOGRAPHIC COPY OF HIS ORIGINAL WORKSHEET WHICH INDICATES THAT THE PRICE SHOULD HAVE BEEN $497.61 BECAUSE THE ITEMIZED FIGURES TOTAL THIS AMOUNT.
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 SOUTHWESTERN STAMP WORKS WAS ERRONEOUS, AND SUCH BELIEF WAS CONFIRMED AND THE ERROR EXPLAINED BY THE BIDDER PRIOR TO AWARD, THE BID MAY BE DISREGARDED IN MAKING AN AWARD FOR THIS WORK.
THE PAPERS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE BIDDER PERTAINING TO THE ERROR IN BID, ARE RETURNED.