B-135345, MAR. 6, 1958
Highlights
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: REFERENCE IS MADE TO YOUR LETTER OF FEBRUARY 26. TWO OTHER BIDS RECEIVED WERE FOR $5. WAS PROBABLY IN ERROR BECAUSE IT DID NOT AGREE WITH THE NET AMOUNT OF $6. 200 WHEN THE UNIT PRICE WAS EXTENDED BY THE NUMBER OF COPIES AND THAT THE EXTENSION BASED ON 200. IT IS FURTHER STATED THAT THE CONTRACTING OFFICER DISCUSSED THE PROBABLE ERROR WITH THE BIDDER AND IT WAS EXPLAINED THAT THE UNIT PRICE WAS IN ERROR SINCE THE FIGURES HAD BEEN TRANSPOSED WHEN TRANSFERRED FROM THE ORIGINAL ESTIMATE SHEET AND THAT THE BIDDER STATED THE UNIT PRICE SHOULD BE $0.031 WHICH WHEN EXTENDED WOULD RESULT IN A TOTAL OF $6. THAT THE CONTRACTING OFFICER STATES THAT AT THE OPENING OF THE BIDS IT WAS NOTICED THAT ON THE BID FORM UNDER DESCRIPTION THE FOLLOWING WORDS WERE "X-ED" OUT ".031 EACH NET.
B-135345, MAR. 6, 1958
TO THE HONORABLE RAYMOND BLATTENBERGER, PUBLIC PRINTER, GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE:
REFERENCE IS MADE TO YOUR LETTER OF FEBRUARY 26, 1958, WITH ENCLOSURES, REQUESTING A DECISION AS TO THE ACTION TO BE TAKEN CONCERNING AN ERROR ELBE FILE AND BINDER COMPANY, INC., ALLEGES IT MADE IN ITS BID DATED FEBRUARY 5, 1958.
THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, UNDER JACKET NO. 453271, REQUESTED BIDS FOR THE PRODUCTION AND FURNISHING OF 200,000 FOLDERS. IN RESPONSE THERETO ELBE FILE AND BINDER COMPANY, INC., SUBMITTED A BID DATED FEBRUARY 5, 1958, OF $0.013 EACH NET, OR A TOTAL PRICE OF $6,200. TWO OTHER BIDS RECEIVED WERE FOR $5,100 AND $5,594.
YOU STATE THAT WHEN EVALUATING THE BIDS THE CONTRACTING OFFICER NOTED THAT THE UNIT PRICE OF .013 ENTERED ON THE BID FORM BY THE ELBE FILE AND BINDER COMPANY, INC., WAS PROBABLY IN ERROR BECAUSE IT DID NOT AGREE WITH THE NET AMOUNT OF $6,200 WHEN THE UNIT PRICE WAS EXTENDED BY THE NUMBER OF COPIES AND THAT THE EXTENSION BASED ON 200,000 COPIES AT ?013 RESULTS IN AN AMOUNT OF $2,600. IT IS FURTHER STATED THAT THE CONTRACTING OFFICER DISCUSSED THE PROBABLE ERROR WITH THE BIDDER AND IT WAS EXPLAINED THAT THE UNIT PRICE WAS IN ERROR SINCE THE FIGURES HAD BEEN TRANSPOSED WHEN TRANSFERRED FROM THE ORIGINAL ESTIMATE SHEET AND THAT THE BIDDER STATED THE UNIT PRICE SHOULD BE $0.031 WHICH WHEN EXTENDED WOULD RESULT IN A TOTAL OF $6,200, THE AMOUNT SHOWN IN THE NET AMOUNT COLUMN.
YOU ALSO STATE THAT THE BIDDER CONFIRMED THE ERROR IN BID IN A LETTER OF FEBRUARY 18, 1958, AND SUBMITTED A PHOTOSTAT OF ITS ORIGINAL BID, WHICH SUBSTANTIATES ITS CLAIM; THAT THE CONTRACTING OFFICER STATES THAT AT THE OPENING OF THE BIDS IT WAS NOTICED THAT ON THE BID FORM UNDER DESCRIPTION THE FOLLOWING WORDS WERE "X-ED" OUT ".031 EACH NET," AND THAT IT WOULD APPEAR THE BIDDER ENTERED THIS INFORMATION IN THE DESCRIPTION COLUMN AND WHEN MOVING IT OVER TO THE UNIT PRICE COLUMN, THE FIGURES WERE TRANSPOSED. THE CONTRACTING OFFICER HAS STATED HE BELIEVES THE BID TO BE ERRONEOUS SINCE THE UNIT RATE OF ?013 IS NOT A FAIR AND REASONABLE PRICE FOR A FOLDER.
ERROR IS APPARENT ON THE FACE OF THE BID SINCE THE UNIT PRICE OF $0.013 MULTIPLIED BY THE QUANTITY OF 200,000 DOES NOT EQUAL THE AMOUNT OF $6,200 INSERTED IN THE NET AMOUNT COLUMN. IF THE UNIT PRICE FOR THE FOLDER BE CORRECTED TO $0.031 THE TOTAL WILL EQUAL $6,200. THUS, THERE APPEARS NO ROOM FOR DOUBT THAT THE BIDDER MADE AN ERROR IN ITS BID AS ALLEGED. ACCORDINGLY, THE BID OF THE ELBE FILE AND BINDER COMPANY, INC., MAY BE DISREGARDED.
THE PAPERS, EXCEPT THE LETTER FROM THE BIDDER DATED FEBRUARY 18, 1958, ARE RETURNED.