OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

/ 

ion besod upon 

da ~fb reoeiVd, Op4Ad 

and road on a r6eton County, Texas, and 

5b~~rt. Chadriok and Xlllama, 

8 b.- about $l~,OOO.~O. T&at 

dwiok and ~illlfama lnforsmd 

at they wished to with&-an their 

their bldder*s dqmsit. That 

he hl@way Departmmt, the oona Yearrs. Chadwfok and i+llliam but that 

outs the oontraot ecd bond and thct therepecezt war forood to award the oontraot 

X&m requested to edrlae pa if in frlrneas to 

the state and the other bidders, the Highway C’0mmk~~l0A should 

return the bfddor*il ohhaok te Jfmsra. Cbadwlok aAd Xfl3.im.a and 

permit them to withdraw their bid under tha oiroaastrnaea outlined above. 
__ 

Iionorebls Julian Uontgomery, Page E 

For the 

pour reuueet into 

1. .Can 

PWPOS~ 0r thi8 0piai0n *IO 

the following quaetlonsi 

are mwordiag 

the Stata Hlghwat Com.laalon permit a blddrr to withdraw hla bid on a highway oonatruotloa projaot 

after tha bid hae been adrertlaad for, r8ceiYid, opanad and 

read, and the low bidder anaounoed7~ 

2. Can the Highway CoumIrslon CsturA a b1dder.a 

dapoalt upo,l default of the blddar IA exaoutlng the oortraot 

bid upon? 

Art1010 6674-h prorldoa thst all contraota mado by 

the State Highway Dapartment for the Improvam~at of any sighW&y should ba aukaitted to OcmqmtitiYe bids. SO tar 68 We 

hare bean able to asorrtain the oourtr hare not oonetrued 

thI8 artlola but-the Intention of the L8glalaturr, without 

doubt, wks to aocompllah tha usual purpoeo of all auoh proYilTiOAS of law, that la, tha purpora of making this artiole 

read aa it does was to preolude f’aVOritl8m and prevent exoosslra WpeAdItWS of pub110 funda and to prevent oolluslo~ 

between oontraotora and #tat@ otflolalr. 

Gaotlon 118, Chap+ 18, of Don~all.y~a "Tha Law OS 

pUbI. COAtrSOta" reads, iA put, a8 fOl~OW#t 

It Is aeon that to pannlt a bidder to withdraw hla 

bid would defeat the ultimata purpoao of the law raquirlng 

compstitlro blda for the reason that to permit auoh would 

Eke it possible for a13 bidder8 to withdraw their bids and 

thereby make tha h&heat bid'tha lowest bid. 

“The objoot of letting pub110 woikr to 

the lowest bidder after lnvitiqg pub110 blda 

la to preoludr faroritlam and jobbing on the 

pert Of pub110 OfiiOiaim iA whom authorit 

to msko oontraota la vested end to whom the 

superrlalon of the l xeoutlon of oontraota la 

entrusted,* 

ha atatod above, thb rulra promulgatrd by lour department, aa authorized by law, require a doporlt wlth a bid 

or a oertlfled ohaok 81 a guaranty of the exroution of tha 

oontraot and bond. Thla oheak under the ruler la llquidatod 

damage8 for auoh Sallure. 
- . 

Honorabl8 fullan Xontgomery, P-e 3 

It has bean hold in 8sny other jurladlotlona that 

when the ntstutea provldo that tha bidder on pub110 works 

must make a depoalt with his bid that the drposit oannot be 

returnrd after tha bide have been opened Cnd read. wheaton 

Bulldln~ Oompeny Y, Boston, 90 W. B, 598 aAd BAltlaore v. 

t. L.~RobInaon Canatruotlon company, Ql.Atl. 688. 

It is further hold %A the oasa of West Tome Conpnaa and Warmhouse compw Y. Panband end Santa Fa Railway 

Company, 18 S. W. (8) 568 that a valid edmlnl6tratlro order 

o? a legal and duly oonatituted adalnlstratlre body her the 

same foroe as a like enaotpent by the Lqlalatw. > 

Tharsforr, the orders of the Stat. Hlghwey Codaaion 

requiring e deporit as a guaranty of the l xeoutlon of the OODtmot bid upon and the dollvory OS tha bond has the same fopon 

and affeot aa a utatuta prawd by the Leglalatura. 

It la, thsrrfore, the opl~lon at thlr deqertMAt that 

the State Hi&way Commission oannot permit a biddrr to withdraw 

his bid atter the came hem beon reoelfed, opened and road; thet 

thr EI@way %Ufni88iOA amriot roturn the blddar’s deposit; but 

that the bidder ir bound by the atrlot terma of his bid and tha 

atrlot ooAatruotlon of the law and rulra applloable. 

You are further advised that on June 16, 1936, Honorable Curtla E. Hill, AarlataAt Attorney GeAeral, in a letter 

ooinlcn to Honorable Glbb GIlohrlat. State KLshwaJr Englnasr. 

" hild ai we hAve in 

in all reapeats. 

Trusting 

faotorlly, we are 

this opinion and‘we oonour-in bald-opl&n 

that thla will aAswwr your In~ulry aatla-