B-134286, NOV. 12, 1957

B-134286, NOV. 12, 1957

TO HONORABLE RAYMOND BLATTENBERGER, PUBLIC PRINTER, GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE:

REFERENCE IS MADE TO YOUR LETTER OF NOVEMBER 1, 1957, WITH ENCLOSURES, REQUESTING A DECISION AS TO THE ACTION TO BE TAKEN CONCERNING AN ERROR THE COMFORT PRINTING AND STATIONERY CO. ALLEGES IT MADE IN ITS BID OPENED ON OCTOBER 24, 1957.

THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE REQUESTED BIDS UNDER JACKET NO. 444084 FOR THE PRODUCTION OF 200,000 COPIES OF A FORM, SIZE 8 INCHES BY 21 INCHES, PRINTED FACE ONLY, TO BE FOLDED 8 INCHES BY 11 INCHES, DRILLED WITH TWO HOLES, AND ALSO FOR SIX SETS (12) FILM NEGATIVES. IN RESPONSE, THE COMFORT PRINTING AND STATIONERY CO. SUBMITTED A BID DATED OCTOBER 22, 1957, OFFERING A PRICE OF $240 FOR 200,000 COPIES, AND $1.18 FOR ADDITIONAL THOUSANDS OF COPIES. THE EIGHT OTHER BIDS RANGED FROM $398 TO $553.70 PER 200,000 COPIES AND FROM $1.65 TO $2.45 FOR ADDITIONAL THOUSANDS OF COPIES.

INASMUCH AS THE BID OF COMFORT PRINTING AND STATIONERY CO. WAS UNUSUALLY LOW IN COMPARISON WITH THE OTHER BIDS AND WITH THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE ESTIMATE OF $351.60, THE COMPANY WAS REQUESTED BY TELEGRAM OF OCTOBER 28, 1957, TO ADVISE WHETHER ITS BID WAS IN STRICT ACCORDANCE WITH SPECIFICATIONS. THE COMPANY BY TELEGRAM DATED THE SAME DAY ADVISED THAT THEY HAD MADE AN ERROR IN THE INTERPRETATION OF THE SPECIFICATIONS AND THAT THE NEW FIGURES SHOULD BE $344 AND $1.18 FOR ADDITIONAL THOUSANDS OF COPIES.

BY LETTER DATED OCTOBER 28, 1957, THE ERROR IN BID WAS CONFIRMED AND EXPLAINED BY THE BIDDER AS FOLLOWS:

"THE ESTIMATOR MADE AN ERROR IN HIS PROJECTION OF THE JOB IN THE FOLDING AND PUNCHING OPERATIONS AFTER IT HAD BEEN PRINTED. IN COMPUTING THESE OPERATIONS HE HAD FIGURED ON EACH PRESS SHEET BEING HANDLED AS A COMPLETED UNIT WHEREAS THE JOB HAD BEEN RUN 8-UP AND, THEREFORE, HAD TO BE HANDLED AS EIGHT TIMES AS MANY SHEETS.

"THEREFORE IN ESTIMATING THE BAUM FOLDER TIME REQUIRED FOR FOLDING HE HAD SHOWN 4.1 HOURS AND IN THE RE-ESTIMATE IT REQUIRED 25 HOURS. IN COMPUTING PUNCHING OF THE JOB ON OUR BERRY PUNCH HE HAD SHOWN 1.3 HOURS WHEREAS THE RE-ESTIMATE SHOWS 10 HOURS.'

IN SUPPORT OF ITS ALLEGATION OF ERROR, THE COMPANY SUBMITTED ITS ESTIMATE SHEET UPON WHICH ITS QUOTATION WAS BASED. YOU STATE THAT WHEN THE ESTIMATE SHEET IS CORRECTED AND EXTENDED, THE REVISED BID WOULD BE $556.95 PER 200,000 COPIES RATHER THAN $344 AS STATED IN THE TELEGRAM.

ON THE BASIS OF THE FACTS AND EVIDENCE OF RECORD THERE IS NO REASONABLE DOUBT THAT THE COMPANY MADE AN ERROR IN ITS BID, AS ALLEGED. ACCORDINGLY, SINCE IT WAS BELIEVED THAT THE BID OF THE COMFORT PRINTING AND STATIONERY CO. WAS ERRONEOUS, AND SINCE SUCH BID WAS CONFIRMED AND THE ERROR WAS EXPLAINED BY THE BIDDER PRIOR TO AWARD, THE BID OF THAT COMPANY MAY BE DISREGARDED.

THE PAPERS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE BIDDER'S LETTER OF OCTOBER 28, 1957, ARE RETURNED HEREWITH.