Request for Bid Correction of Alleged Mistake

The Department of the Interior requested an opinion on whether a firm should be allowed to correct an alleged mistake in its bid on a construction project. The bid was submitted to Interior with its price based on a verbal cost estimate received from a potential subcontractor. After the bid was mailed, the subcontractor called the bidder to inform it of a mistake in its estimate. The bidder sent a telegram to Interior to notify it of the error and to correct the mistake in its bid. However, the telegram arrived after the bid opening and was not considered part of the bid. For GAO to consider the request for correction, the bidder would have had to submit clear and convincing evidence that a mistake had been made. Since the bidder did not submit any such evidence, its request for a correction in its bid price may not be granted.