The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-01-01
THE PRINTING AWARDS
A PUBLIC LETTING BY THE COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS.
Sentinel Printing Company Success
full on First and Second Classes
A Protest Filed.

printing TO the Sentinel Printing Company,
for the first and second classes, and the
Journal Printing Company for the third
class. Since the bids were received there
has been a lively fight going on among
the printers over the awarding of the con-
tract and an apparently dissatisfied bidder
saw fit to criticise the board for the man
ner In which the bids were received, al
leging that it had acted illegally.
Yesterday afternoon the commissioners
called all of the printers who had bid on
furnishing the county with supplies TO be
present, and also representatives of the
various newspapers of the city. When all
were present Commissioner Greer, pre-
sdent of the board, and acting as spokes-
man, addressed the printers before him.
He asked them first, II they had had &C
cess to the Specifications upon which the
bids were submitted, IL they had had ac-
cess to the acquisitions filed by the county
officers from which the schedules were
made up. II they had had an opportunity
to investigate all the schedules and
acquisitions with reference to the quantity
of supplies needed by the county officials.
and ended with the general question
whether the printers had not been en-
tirely satisfied with the procedure of the
board in advertising for and receiving the
bids. To all of these questions the printers
answered in the affirmative.
THE BOARDS DECISION.
When the printers had expressed their
satisfaction with the manner in which the
commissioners have proceeded. with the
exception of William Baker, of Baker &
Thornton, Mr.. Greer made a statement of
the boards decision. Mr.. Baker said he
md f.r.f SAot
classification. one article having been
placed in the wrong class, but that mis-
take made no material difference and he
was willing to let it go. he said. Mr..
Greer told the printers that there had been
juggling OF figures, or catch bids, in some
of the bids submitted. and that the board
had endeayored to award the contract to
the lowest bidder when this juggling was
taken into consideration. The bids SUBJ
mitted were, for the first class Sentinel
Printing Company, $774.46; Baker & Thorn
ton; a.44S.Ss; Leyey Brothers & Co.; s74s. Y;
Journal Printing Company, sl,29S.35. Sec
ond-class: Sentinel Printing Company.
S244.S6 Baker & Thornton. s526SS: Levey
ing Company. s6s2.5s; Journal Printing
Company. S47.53. Third-class: Sem
tinel Printing Company. s1O6.03; Baker &
s1OS.64: indianapolis Printing Company,
Sl12.s0; Journal Printing Company. $ls6. 10.
After the bids were read Mr.. Greer said
the board had endeavored to get at the
honest bids. The bids submitted showed
that there had been considerable Juggling
In many instances. One firm bidding on
legal cap paper for the sheriff's Office Of
iered 10 furnish 1t for cent a ream. and
DID ~ ream for the same quality OF paper
for the county clerks Office that furnishes
the courts with stationery. Records for
the Superior Court were offered to the
county at one-tenth of a cent a ream, MAX
fho rhnae IL e.
Court rooms cost only 3 cents, while other
bids. which the commissioners termed hon.
est, onered to furnish the records for $37
one bid the commissioners observed was a
20 bid and they say IL would cost 500 to
furnish it. These apparently cheap bids
were many times overbalanced by high bids
on the necessities for the Offices and which
Will be needed in large quantities. In one
DID red INK was offered for less than half
the cost OF black ink. while in reality the
red ink costs twice as much as black ink
but there Is comparatively little of Ii used
where the black ink is used in great guam
titles 1t was also observed in some in
stances bids were much higher on neces-
stiles that have to be furnished in large
quantities.
BIDS COMPARED.
Commissioner Greer said that in consid-
ering the bids the commissioners compared
the juggled bids with those that appeared
to be reasonable. The unreasonable low
bids were checked and a total of those that
appeared to be reasonable was footed ND.
This footing eliminating the juggled bids,
showed the bids to stand as follows: First
class, Sentinel Printing Company, s51sS4:
Baker & Thornton, s71S.15 Levey Broth
ers Co.. sss7.s5; indianapolis Printing
Company, s659.60: Journal Printing Com
pany. rs. Second class: Sentinel Print
Ing Ing C Company. sli7si; Baker & Thornton.
e. "
indianapolis Printing Company S21717:
journal Printing Company, s1S6.60. Third
class: Sentinel Printing Company. s5l3s4;
Baker & Thornton, A923; Leyev Brothers
* Co., $3.50; Indianapolis Printing Com
SIS. IS. eo"pany'
A third and final total was made and
upon this the contracts were awarded.
Commissioner Greer said the board, in
making this total. substituted what IT
termed reasonable bids for the juggled
was really the lowest bidder Those totals
We're as follows: First class: Sentinel
Printing Company, A.2i9S2; Baker &,
thornton, N.445.59; Levey Brothers & Co.
Second class: Sentinel Printing Company.
sioi.i6: Baker q Thornton, s5263S: Ievev
Brothers & Co, $57O.22: Journal Print.
ing company, s5O212 Third class: Sentinel
ton. NS0eS; Levey Brothers a. 20
s2l5.45; Journal Printing Company. s1s0 ID
Upon this calculation the awards were
mace mace tne sentinel Company receiving the
ilrst and second-class contracts and the
Journal Company the third-class.
Immediately after the awards were made
Levey BROTHERS * Co. filed protest with
the board against letting the contract unon
the ground that the bids were not awarded
10 the lowest bidder. According TO the
plds submitted Levey Brothers & Co had
the lowest bid on the first class and the
Sentinel Printing Company on the second
and third classes. After the revision of
the ngures and comparison made by the
commissioners with reference TO the ing
Cling OF figures. the apparent awards were
changed
The commissioners say they feel conf
dent they have acted right in the matter
County Attorney Brown was present when
the awards were made and the board acted
upon his advice. AS all OF the printers
who bid said they were satisfied with the
manner in which the bids were received
there can be no complaint upon that score
The commissioners say they are willing 10
accept the protest and believe they will ne
supported in any contention.