Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-30
WILL Invoke
COMPETITION
BY PUBLICITY
Bidders Everywhere
to Be Kept Posted
Local Contractors and Machinery Deal.
ers VIII Have Equal Chance in
Landing Plums When Lett
tings Are Made

Publicity will be resorted to widely
by the Los Angeles aqueduct board in
an effort to get the lowest bids on ev-
erything and to call the worlds at
tention to the great $23,00O,OOO water
project which the City of the Angels
has just inaugurated.
The board is now preparing a list of
all the more prominent builders and
contractors of public work in the
country. To this list the names of local
firms, contractors and dealers, who can
supply heavy machinery and supplies,
viii be added.
Millions of dollars are to be expend-
ed in purchases and contracts during
the next five years in the construction
Of the Los Angeles aqueduct to Owens
river valley, and to obtain the lowest
prices aqueduct officials are preparing
to bring about the largest possible
amount of competition. In this they
see saving of many thousands of
dollars.
Publicity is the method by which
competition is to be obtained. In the
letting of large contracts, contractors
are not to be left to their own re-
sources in finding that the city has
called for bids which will be opened on
certain day. Responsible contractors
interested in the particular contract
about to be let will be notified through
the aqueduct bureau.
Specifications in Plenty
When a contract of any magnitude
is to be let, each person or company
who might be interested in b. ling will
be notified and will be furnished with
copy of the specifications.
Nor is this all in the way of adver-
tising. The large technical journals
throughout the country are showing
the greatest interest in the construc-
ton of the aqueduct. They have con-
sented to publish brief statements of
the contracts that are to be let, and on
the opening of bids the names of bid
ders, the bids submitted and the
awards. Locally the newspapers will
be depended upon to give the required
publicity.
Once each month the purchasing de-
partment is required to present a re-
port to the chief engineer, showing
just what competition has been OBJ
tained. The instructions are that care
full note is to be made of any dealer
furnishing inferior goods or not COM
plying in every particular with the
specifications.
The result of the months purchases
is then Incorporated in the monthly re-
port of the bureau to the board of pub
tlic works.
Guarantee Fair Treatment
In being able to prevent combination
among bidders and in providing for
fair treatment to all bidders Los An
geles is particularly fortunate. There
are no requirements which make it
necessary for a bidder to let any one
else know that he is bidding
To provide for fair competition pro-
visions will be made for each bidder
bidding exactly on the same thing and
the specifications will not be vague
or capable of more than one con-
struction. Contractors will not be re-
quired to take the risk of any con-
tingencies as to unknown conditions
to be developed in the work
AS much care at the precent time
is being taken in the purchase of $100
worth of goods as in the letting of a
100000 contract Whether the purchase
is large or small the larger firms hand
ling the goods desired are given writ
ten notice and invited to submit bids.
This method saved Los Angeles in
three months $1,000 on an aggregate of
more than $4,000 worth of purchases.
Catalogues Invited
/ The aqueduct bureau, when the con-
ytruction work is well under way will
have need for the products of many
crafts and trades. Dealers are urged
70 send their catalogues and price lists
70 the Aqueduct Bureau, Purchasing
Department, 14O0 Union Trust building,
together with specifications as to what
lines of goods the seller is prepared to
furnish.
Philadelphia, as an instance, keeps in
force an old ordinance to protect COM
binations or favored bidders. If a per-
son is to bid on a contract he is re-
quired to give notice of his intention
at least several hours before the bids
are opened. With this knowledge it
lies within the power of a c1mbina-
tion or ring to freeze out any contrac-
aor willing and anxious to pursue hon
etst methods.