B-132760, AUG. 5, 1957

B-132760, AUG. 5, 1957

TO HONORABLE RAYMOND BLATTENBERGER, PUBLIC PRINTER:

REFERENCE IS MADE TO YOUR LETTER DATED JULY 29, 1957, WITH ENCLOSURES, REQUESTING A DECISION WHETHER NEBRASKA SALESBOOK COMPANY, LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, SHOULD HAVE ITS BID DISREGARDED BECAUSE OF AN ERROR IT ALLEGED UPON THE CONTRACTING OFFICER'S REQUEST FOR VERIFICATION PRIOR TO AWARD.

YOUR OFFICE ADVERTISED FOR BIDS ON THE PRODUCTION OF 160,000 SETS (PLUS OR MINUS 10 PERCENT) OF A 4-PART, SINGLE-STUB, CARBON-INTERLEAVED FORM. NEBRASKA SALESBOOK COMPANY SUBMITTED A BID OF $1,549. THE CONTRACTING OFFICER BELIEVED THE BID WAS ERRONEOUS BECAUSE IT WAS OUT OF LINE WITH THE NINE OTHER BIDS RECEIVED, WHICH RANGED FROM $2,352 TO $4,614.40, AND WITH YOUR OFFICE'S ESTIMATE OF $2,690.98. IN RESPONSE TO A REQUEST TO REVIEW THE SPECIFICATIONS AND TO CONFIRM THE BID PRICE, THE FIRM REPLIED THAT IT PRODUCED THE SAME FORM IN AUGUST 1956 WHEN IT WAS A 3-PART FORM AND IN COMPUTING THE PRESENT BID IT OVERLOOKED THE CHANGE TO A 4-PART FORM. YOUR RECORDS SHOW THAT THE FIRM DID PRODUCE THE 3-PART FORM AS ALLEGED. THE PRICE BREAKDOWN SUBMITTED BY THE FIRM SHOWS THAT THE BID WAS BASED ON A 3- PART FORM.

SINCE, UPON REQUEST FOR VERIFICATION PRIOR TO AWARD, THE CONTRACTING OFFICER'S BELIEF THAT THE BID WAS ERRONEOUS WAS CONFIRMED, THE BID SHOULD BE DISREGARDED.

THE BIDS, THE COPY OF THE SPECIFICATIONS AND THE TELEGRAM ARE RETURNED.