Skip to main content

B-135944, MAY 6, 1958

B-135944 May 06, 1958
Jump To:
Skip to Highlights

Highlights

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: REFERENCE IS MADE TO YOUR LETTER OF APRIL 24. YOU STATE THAT WHEN THE BIDS WERE OPENED THE CONTRACTING OFFICER NOTED THAT THE COMPANY'S BID WAS SO MUCH LOWER THAN THE NEXT LOW BID AND THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE'S ESTIMATE OF $197.75 FOR PERFORMING THIS WORK. THAT THE CORRECT PRICE FOR THE FORMS IS $239 AND NOT $139 AS SHOWN IN ITS BID. THE ESTIMATE SHEET SHOWS VARIOUS ITEMS OF COST AND THE TOTAL OF THESE PRICES IS SHOWN AS BEING $225. THE ERROR IS FURTHER SUBSTANTIATED BY THE FACT THAT IF THE CORPORATION'S ADDITIONAL COPY RATE OF $0.69 PER THOUSAND COPIES IS MULTIPLIED BY THE ORIGINAL QUANTITY OF 321. A TOTAL PRICE OF $221.49 IS OBTAINED. SINCE IT WAS BELIEVED THAT THE BID WAS ERRONEOUS.

View Decision

B-135944, MAY 6, 1958

TO HONORABLE RAYMOND BLATTENBERGER, GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE:

REFERENCE IS MADE TO YOUR LETTER OF APRIL 24, 1958, WITH ENCLOSURES, REQUESTING A DECISION AS TO THE ACTION TO BE TAKEN CONCERNING AN ERROR WHICH THE WALLACE PRESS, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ALLEGES IT MADE IN ITS BID OPENED ON APRIL 10, 1958.

THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE REQUESTED BIDS UNDER JACKET NO. 458447 FOR THE PRODUCTION OF 321,000 COPIES OF A FORM, PRINTED FACE AND BACK, TRIM SIZE 7 BY 4-3/4 INCHES. IN RESPONSE THE WALLACE PRESS SUBMITTED A BID OFFERING TO FURNISH THE REQUIRED QUANTITY OF FORMS FOR THE SUM OF $139 AND TO FURNISH ANY ADDITIONAL FORMS AT A PRICE OF $0.69 PER THOUSAND. THE FIVE OTHER BIDDERS ON THE FORMS QUOTED PRICES RANGING FROM $218.28 TO $355.

YOU STATE THAT WHEN THE BIDS WERE OPENED THE CONTRACTING OFFICER NOTED THAT THE COMPANY'S BID WAS SO MUCH LOWER THAN THE NEXT LOW BID AND THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE'S ESTIMATE OF $197.75 FOR PERFORMING THIS WORK. UPON BEING REQUESTED BY TELEGRAM DATED APRIL 17, 1958, TO REVIEW THE SPECIFICATIONS AND TO CONFIRM ITS BID PRICE, A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE WALLACE PRESS ADVISED BY TELEPHONE THAT AN ERROR HAD BEEN MADE ON THE CORPORATION'S ESTIMATE SHEET; THAT THE CORRECT PRICE FOR THE FORMS IS $239 AND NOT $139 AS SHOWN IN ITS BID; AND THAT THE COST OF THE WORK HAD BEEN COMPUTED AS $225 BUT THAT THERE HAD BEEN INCORRECTLY ENTERED A NOTATION TO QUOTE $139 ON THE ESTIMATE SHEET.

IN SUPPORT OF ITS ALLEGATION OF ERROR, THE CORPORATION SUBMITTED BY CONFIRMING LETTER DATED APRIL 18, 1958, THE ORIGINAL ESTIMATE SHEET USED IN COMPUTING ITS BID PRICE. THE ESTIMATE SHEET SHOWS VARIOUS ITEMS OF COST AND THE TOTAL OF THESE PRICES IS SHOWN AS BEING $225. IT ALSO BEARS THE NOTATION "QUOTE -$139.00.' THE ERROR IS FURTHER SUBSTANTIATED BY THE FACT THAT IF THE CORPORATION'S ADDITIONAL COPY RATE OF $0.69 PER THOUSAND COPIES IS MULTIPLIED BY THE ORIGINAL QUANTITY OF 321,000, A TOTAL PRICE OF $221.49 IS OBTAINED.

ON THE BASIS OF THE FACTS AND EVIDENCE OF RECORD, THERE APPEARS LITTLE ROOM FOR DOUBT THAT THE WALLACE PRESS MADE AN ERROR IN ITS BID, AS ALLEGED. ACCORDINGLY, SINCE IT WAS BELIEVED THAT THE BID WAS ERRONEOUS, AND SINCE SUCH BELIEF WAS CONFIRMED AND THE ERROR WAS EXPLAINED BY THE CORPORATION PRIOR TO AWARD, THE BID MAY BE DISREGARDED IN MAKING THE AWARD.

GAO Contacts

Office of Public Affairs