Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1907-10-29
CITY PRINTING
CONTRACT LET
DISCUSSION ON
WELL-WORN TOPIC WHICH
ENDS IN THE AWARDING OF
THE CONTRACT TO THE CEN
TURY PRINTING COMPANY.

Inc city council last night awarded
the contract for printing upon specifi-
cations already furnished to the Cen
| fury Printing company and instructed
the city controller to prepare further
| specifications and advertise for bids
upon those features of the city print
ing not included in the list first ad-
vertised.
Controller Nickerson explained that
the list included in the specifications
already advertised was complete as to
the regular requirements of the city
departments and that while it might
| be possible to extend the specifications
by a canvass of the vouchers for the
past year, it would be impossible to
forecast all of the demands of the de-
mands of the various departments for
printed matter during the year.
When the matter of city printing
was brought before the council Alder
man King suggested the clerk be in
structed to readvertise for bids on the
grounds the former proposals were not
clear in that some of the bidders had
submitted bids for printed matter in
lots of 100, While one firm had sub
mitted bids for lots of 100 and given a
further price for each additional 100
desired.
The particular clause in question re-
fers to all of the regular city printing
not included in the letter heads IL
cense and police register books and
reads, ito be in lots of not less than
| 100 EACH" and the opinion of the coun-
Gil was that this was suggestive that
: more than 100 of the various styles
would be used and should have been
so interpreted by the bidders.
Alderman King then submitted a
motion to have the city clerk extend
the specifications to include all fea-
lures of the city printing that might
! be required during the year and re-
advertise for bids, the motion being in
! tended to reject all bids then being
/ considered. The motion was seconded
! by Alderman Salsberg
Alderman Booth said he believed the
|
the city printing long enough and that
he thought Mr.. Nickerson understood
his business, and had made the speci.
| f1cations as complete as it is possible
to make them at the beginning of a
year. ~
I'VE are not treating the bidderS
fairly if we now reject their bids and
readvertise for the same work." said
Alderman Howard. 4 believe that
anyone who can read English could
understand the proposals advertised
by the city clerk and 1 believe the
majority of the bidders did understand
! the conditions. We have received a
reasonable bid, one that we all know
Is as low as good work can be consist
emily performed and I believe the
! least we could do would be to award
| the contract to the Century Printing
company for the work already bid
upon"
Alderman Booth stated that 1t would
be an injustice to any bidder to re-
advertise for bids after the bids had
been opened. that it gave the COMPETE
| tors a great advantage over the low
est bidder when new bids were sub
| mitted.
Alderman Salisbury stated he wanted
| all of the city's work to be specified
in the contract and wanted to secure
for the city the best possible contract.
| A substitute motion by Phillips Sec
onded by Howard, was to the effect
that the contract for the city printing
| already specified by awarded to the
Century Printing company and the city
clerk be instructed to advertise for
bids on those specifications not in
| cluded in the first list. The substitute
motion prevailed; Alderman King and
4 Salsberg voting in the negative.
! An examination of the proposals add
vertised this year as compared with
I the specifications of last year, shows
| the work to be much more comprehen-
! sive than ever before. Items in the
| printing that We're brought out by the
regular department demands of the
past Il months have been included in
the specifications provided by City
| Clerk Nickerson.
The preparation of specifications and
advertising for bids for The city's
printing was inaugurated in July. 1906,
the work previous to that time being
performed in the various printing
| shops at commercial rates. In the
preparation of the specifications last
year the list was made as completed
as it was possible to make it without
the experience of other years as refer
ence. The demands of the past year
has made possible to make the specin-
cations even more completed. but it is
universally the custom of all munich
palities to send all features of the
| ...nr.Lr ,ahich carrant he incl,1dad In sna-