B-136789, JUL. 23, 1958
Highlights
VETERANS ADMINISTRATION HOSPITAL: REFERENCE IS MADE TO YOUR LETTER OF JULY 7. REQUESTING A DECISION AS TO THE ACTION THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN WITH RESPECT TO AN ERROR ALLEGED BY CRESCENT ELECTRIC SUPPLY COMPANY TO HAVE BEEN MADE IN ITS BID SUBMITTED IN RESPONSE TO INVITATION FOR BIDS NO. 58-64. BIDDERS WERE TO QUOTE A UNIT PRICE ON A PER FOOT BASIS AND A TOTAL AMOUNT FOR THE NUMBER OF FEET COVERED BY EACH ITEM. IT WAS NOTED THAT THE PRICES QUOTED BY CRESCENT ON ITEMS NOS. 36. 37 AND 38 WERE INCONSISTENT. ITEM NO. 36 WAS BID AT $40.33 PER HUNDREDWEIGHT AND ITEMS NOS. 37 AND 38 AT $38.83 AND $39.58 PER THOUSAND FEET. ITEM NO. 36 WAS NOT EXTENDED. ITEMS NOS. 37 AND 38 WERE EXTENDED AND THE EXTENDED AMOUNT WAS OBVIOUSLY INCORRECT WHEN COMPARED WITH THE PRICES QUOTED BY THE OTHER BIDDERS.
B-136789, JUL. 23, 1958
TO MR. L. B. BREITWEISER, VETERANS ADMINISTRATION HOSPITAL:
REFERENCE IS MADE TO YOUR LETTER OF JULY 7, 1958, FILE 5147-134, REQUESTING A DECISION AS TO THE ACTION THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN WITH RESPECT TO AN ERROR ALLEGED BY CRESCENT ELECTRIC SUPPLY COMPANY TO HAVE BEEN MADE IN ITS BID SUBMITTED IN RESPONSE TO INVITATION FOR BIDS NO. 58-64, OPENED ON JUNE 23, 1958.
ITEMS NOS. 36, 37 AND 38 OF THE INVITATION REQUESTED BIDS ON A QUANTITY OF NO. 2/0, TBWP; NO. 2 TBWP; AND NO. 4 (D.B.) OF ELECTRIC WIRE, RESPECTIVELY. BIDDERS WERE TO QUOTE A UNIT PRICE ON A PER FOOT BASIS AND A TOTAL AMOUNT FOR THE NUMBER OF FEET COVERED BY EACH ITEM. IT WAS NOTED THAT THE PRICES QUOTED BY CRESCENT ON ITEMS NOS. 36, 37 AND 38 WERE INCONSISTENT. ITEM NO. 36 WAS BID AT $40.33 PER HUNDREDWEIGHT AND ITEMS NOS. 37 AND 38 AT $38.83 AND $39.58 PER THOUSAND FEET. ITEM NO. 36 WAS NOT EXTENDED. ITEMS NOS. 37 AND 38 WERE EXTENDED AND THE EXTENDED AMOUNT WAS OBVIOUSLY INCORRECT WHEN COMPARED WITH THE PRICES QUOTED BY THE OTHER BIDDERS.
IN VIEW OF THE CONFLICT THE BIDDER WAS REQUESTED TO VERIFY ITS BID ON THE THREE ITEMS. BY LETTER DATED JULY 2, 1958, THE BIDDER ADVISED THAT THE UNIT PRICES QUOTED FOR THE THREE ITEMS WERE CORRECT, THAT THEY WERE BASED ON A PRICE PER HUNDREDWEIGHT AND THAT THE WEIGHTS PER THOUSAND FEET WERE 502, 260 AND 151 POUNDS FOR ITEMS NOS. 36, 37 AND 38, RESPECTIVELY. THE BIDDER REQUESTED THAT HIS BID ON THE ITEMS BE CONSIDERED ON THAT BASIS.
THE RECORDS SHOW THAT AWARD HAS BEEN MADE TO CRESCENT ON ITEM NO. 36 AND THAT THE MATERIAL OFFERED UNDER ITEM NO. 38 IS NOT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SPECIFICATIONS AND, THEREFORE, AWARD WAS MADE TO THE NEXT LOW BIDDER. THE UNIT PRICE OF $38.83 SHOWN FOR ITEM NO. 37 WOULD BE LOW IF CONSIDERED ON A PER HUNDREDWEIGHT BASIS FOR WIRE WEIGHING 260 POUNDS PER THOUSAND FEET. DECISION IS REQUESTED IF THE BID ON ITEM NO. 37 MAY BE SO CONSIDERED.
ON THE BASIS OF FACTS AND EVIDENCE OF RECORD THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT AN ERROR WAS MADE IN THE BID AS ALLEGED. FURTHERMORE, SINCE THERE IS NO CHANGE IN THE UNIT PRICE QUOTED, THE EVIDENCE MAY BE ACCEPTED AS ESTABLISHING THE AMOUNT OF THE INTENDED BID. ACCORDINGLY, YOU ARE ADVISED THAT THE BID OF CRESCENT ELECTRIC SUPPLY COMPANY ON ITEM NO. 37 MAY BE CONSIDERED FOR AWARD ON THE BASIS OF $38.83 PER HUNDREDWEIGHT FOR WIRE WEIGHING 260 POUNDS PER THOUSAND FEET.