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B-125634, OCT. 5, 1955

B-125634 Oct 05, 1955
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PUBLIC PRINTER: REFERENCE IS MADE TO YOUR LETTER OF SEPTEMBER 28. TWO BIDS WERE RECEIVED AND WERE OPENED ON SEPTEMBER 19. IT WAS ESTIMATED THAT THE PRICE QUOTED FOR EACH ISSUE BY THE CORPORATION AMOUNTED TO $1. THAT THE PRICE QUOTED BY THE ONLY OTHER BIDDER WAS $2. THE CONTRACT PERIOD IS TO EXTEND FROM THE DATE OF AWARD TO SEPTEMBER 30. IT HAD SUBMITTED A PRICE WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN USED ON 16 PAGES BUT WHICH WAS MISTAKENLY BASED ON 8 PAGES. WERE APPARENTLY CORRECT. SINCE YOUR RECORDS CONFIRMED THE FACT THAT THE CORPORATION'S PRESS EQUIPMENT IS NOT LARGE ENOUGH TO PRINT 16 PAGES ON ONE SIDE OF A PRESS SHEET. YOU POINT OUT THAT THE BIDDER'S ESTIMATE SHEET SHOWS ONE FORM (25 BY 39) THAT WILL ACCOMMODATE ONLY 8 PAGES AND THAT A COMPARISON OF HIS ORIGINAL BID PRICES FOR THE ITEMS AGAINST THE PRICES OF THE OTHER BIDDER AND THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE PRICES INDICATES THAT ERRORS DID OCCUR.

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B-125634, OCT. 5, 1955

TO HONORABLE RAYMOND BLATTENBERGER, PUBLIC PRINTER:

REFERENCE IS MADE TO YOUR LETTER OF SEPTEMBER 28, 1955, WITH ENCLOSURES, REQUESTING A DECISION AS TO THE ACTION TO BE TAKEN REGARDING AN ERROR GRAPHIC ARTS PRESS, INC., ALLEGES IT MADE IN ITS BID OPENED ON SEPTEMBER 19, 1955.

THE INVITATION INVOLVED CALLED FOR BIDS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A MONTHLY PUBLICATION ENTITLED ,NEWS FOR FARMERS COOPERATIVES" OF APPROXIMATELY 13,000 TO 15,000 COPIES MONTHLY, CONSISTING OF 16 PAGES, SELF COVER, WITH THE POSSIBILITY THAT TWO ISSUES MAY INVOLVE APPROXIMATELY 28 PAGES. TWO BIDS WERE RECEIVED AND WERE OPENED ON SEPTEMBER 19, 1955. UPON EVALUATION OF THE BIDS, IT WAS ESTIMATED THAT THE PRICE QUOTED FOR EACH ISSUE BY THE CORPORATION AMOUNTED TO $1,485.27, AND THAT THE PRICE QUOTED BY THE ONLY OTHER BIDDER WAS $2,007.54. THE CONTRACT PERIOD IS TO EXTEND FROM THE DATE OF AWARD TO SEPTEMBER 30, 1956.

AFTER THE OPENING, AND BEFORE THE CONTRACTING OFFICER HAD EXAMINED THE BIDS, THE CORPORATION ADVISED BY TELEPHONE THAT IT HAD DISCOVERED ERRORS IN ITS BID. BY LETTER DATED SEPTEMBER 23, 1955, THE CORPORATION EXPLAINED THAT IN SECTION III, PRESSWORK AND BINDING, ITEM (D), IT HAD SUBMITTED A PRICE WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN USED ON 16 PAGES BUT WHICH WAS MISTAKENLY BASED ON 8 PAGES, AND THAT THE SAME MISTAKE OCCURRED WITH RESPECT TO ITEM (D). THE CORPORATION STATED FURTHER THAT THIS MISTAKE RESULTED FROM CONFUSING ONE 16-PAGE SIGNATURE WITH ONE FORM, WHEREAS THE EQUIPMENT IN ITS PLANT CAN HANDLE ONLY 8 PAGES.

YOU STATE THAT, AFTER THE BIDS HAD BEEN EXAMINED BY THE CONTRACTING OFFICER, HE FOUND THAT THE STATEMENTS MADE BY GRAPHIC ARTS PRESS, INC., WERE APPARENTLY CORRECT, SINCE YOUR RECORDS CONFIRMED THE FACT THAT THE CORPORATION'S PRESS EQUIPMENT IS NOT LARGE ENOUGH TO PRINT 16 PAGES ON ONE SIDE OF A PRESS SHEET. ALSO, YOU POINT OUT THAT THE BIDDER'S ESTIMATE SHEET SHOWS ONE FORM (25 BY 39) THAT WILL ACCOMMODATE ONLY 8 PAGES AND THAT A COMPARISON OF HIS ORIGINAL BID PRICES FOR THE ITEMS AGAINST THE PRICES OF THE OTHER BIDDER AND THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE PRICES INDICATES THAT ERRORS DID OCCUR.

ON THE BASIS OF THE FACTS AND EVIDENCE OF RECORD THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT GRAPHIC ARTS PRESS, C., MADE AN ERROR IN COMPUTING ITS BID PRICES. ACCORDINGLY, SINCE THE ERROR WAS ALLEGED PROMPTLY AND EXPLAINED SATISFACTORILY PRIOR TO AWARD, THE BID OF THE CORPORATION MAY BE DISREGARDED--- THE FACTS AND EVIDENCE PRESENTED NOT BEING SUCH AS TO WARRANT A DEPARTURE FROM THE BASIC RULE THAT BIDS MAY NOT BE CHANGED AFTER OPENING. SEE 17 COMP. GEN. 575, 577.

THE PAPERS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE BIDDER'S LETTER OF SEPTEMBER 23, 1955, AND ITS WORKSHEET DATED SEPTEMBER 16, 1955, ARE RETURNED AS REQUESTED.

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