B-129354, OCT. 3, 1956
Highlights
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: REFERENCE IS MADE TO YOUR LETTER OF SEPTEMBER 27. THE BIDS WERE OPENED ON SEPTEMBER 19. IT WAS FOUND THAT PAINT PRINT PROCESS. WAS THE LOW BIDDER AT A PRICE OF $1. SEVEN OTHER BIDS WERE RECEIVED WHICH RANGED IN PRICE FROM $8. WAS EXTREMELY LOW IN COMPARISON WITH THE OTHER BIDS. IT IS REPORTED THAT SINCE THE CONTRACTING OFFICER BELIEVED THAT AN ERROR HAD BEEN MADE IN THE LOW BID. IN A SUBSEQUENT TELEPHONE CONVERSATION THE LOW BIDDER ADVISED THAT AN ERROR HAD BEEN MADE IN THE ORIGINAL QUOTATION IN THAT THE ESTIMATOR HAD FIGURED ONLY ONE ROLL OF BASIC MATERIAL FOR THE ORDER AT $450 PER ROLL WHEN HE SHOULD HAVE CHARGED FOR TWENTY ROLLS. THE LOW BIDDER ADVISED THAT THE ERROR OCCURRED WHEN THE ESTIMATOR OBTAINED A COST FIGURE FROM THE SUPPLIER OF THE MATERIAL WHICH HE BELIEVED TO BE THE TOTAL COST OF THE MATERIAL WHEN ACTUALLY IT WAS THE COST PER ROLL.
B-129354, OCT. 3, 1956
TO HONORABLE RAYMOND BLATTENBERGER, PUBLIC PRINTER, GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE:
REFERENCE IS MADE TO YOUR LETTER OF SEPTEMBER 27, 1956, WITH ENCLOSURES, REQUESTING A DECISION AS TO WHETHER A BID DATED SEPTEMBER 14, 1956, SUBMITTED BY PAINT PRINT PROCESS, INC., 438 WEST 37TH STREET, NEW YORK 18, NEW YORK, MAY BE DISREGARDED IN VIEW OF THE BIDDER'S ALLEGATION OF ERROR.
THE RECORD SHOWS THAT ON SEPTEMBER 11, 1956, INVITATION TO BID, JACKET NO. 397310, REQUESTED PRICES FOR FURNISHING 45,000 BUMPER STRIPS, SIZE 18 BY 1 1/2 INCHES, DELIVERY TO BE COMPLETED ON OR BEFORE OCTOBER 15, 1956. THE BIDS WERE OPENED ON SEPTEMBER 19, 1956, AND IT WAS FOUND THAT PAINT PRINT PROCESS, INC., WAS THE LOW BIDDER AT A PRICE OF $1,350. SEVEN OTHER BIDS WERE RECEIVED WHICH RANGED IN PRICE FROM $8,685 TO $10,800. WHEN EXAMINING THE BIDS, THE CONTRACTING OFFICER NOTED THAT THE BID OF PAINT PRINT PROCESS, INC. WAS EXTREMELY LOW IN COMPARISON WITH THE OTHER BIDS, IT BEING NOTED THAT A PREVIOUS ORDER OF THE IDENTICAL ITEM HAD COST $0.198 PER UNIT IN COMPARISON WITH THE $0.03 PER UNIT OFFERED BY PAINT PRINT PROCESS, INC.
IT IS REPORTED THAT SINCE THE CONTRACTING OFFICER BELIEVED THAT AN ERROR HAD BEEN MADE IN THE LOW BID, HE FORWARDED A TELEGRAM ON SEPTEMBER 24, 1956, TO PAINT PRINT PROCESS, INC., REQUESTING THAT FIRM TO REVIEW THE SPECIFICATIONS AND TO CONFIRM ITS BID PRICE ON THE JOB. BY TELEGRAM DATED SEPTEMBER 24, 1956, THE FIRM REQUESTED THAT ITS BID PRICE BE REVISED TO $0.21 PER UNIT, AND IN A SUBSEQUENT TELEPHONE CONVERSATION THE LOW BIDDER ADVISED THAT AN ERROR HAD BEEN MADE IN THE ORIGINAL QUOTATION IN THAT THE ESTIMATOR HAD FIGURED ONLY ONE ROLL OF BASIC MATERIAL FOR THE ORDER AT $450 PER ROLL WHEN HE SHOULD HAVE CHARGED FOR TWENTY ROLLS. THE LOW BIDDER ADVISED THAT THE ERROR OCCURRED WHEN THE ESTIMATOR OBTAINED A COST FIGURE FROM THE SUPPLIER OF THE MATERIAL WHICH HE BELIEVED TO BE THE TOTAL COST OF THE MATERIAL WHEN ACTUALLY IT WAS THE COST PER ROLL.
SINCE THE CONTRACTING OFFICER HAS STATED THAT HE BELIEVES AN HONEST ERROR WAS MADE BY PAINT PRINT PROCESS, INC., IN QUOTING ON THIS JOB, AND SINCE SUCH BELIEF WAS CONFIRMED AND THE ERROR, TOGETHER WITH THE REASON THEREFOR, WAS EXPLAINED BY THE BIDDER PRIOR TO AWARD, THE BID OF PAINT PRINT PROCESS, INC., SHOULD BE DISREGARDED.
THE PAPERS TRANSMITTED WITH YOUR LETTER, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE BIDDER'S LETTER OF SEPTEMBER 25, 1956, AND ESTIMATE SHEET, ARE RETURNED HEREWITH.