The Washington herald., 1908-01-09
AUDIT SYSTEM BIDS
Contracts for Supplies While
Working in g. 2. 0.
SOME INSTANCES IN POINT
How One Bidder Lost Out by the
Small Margin of $I.92-Bules and
Specifications for "Open Market
Purchases"-Of Course, Ii Is All Ac-
cOrding 10 HOyIe-LOOks Peculiar.

Public Printer Charles a. Sullings has
let several contracts for supplies 10 The
Audit System, which is installing new
methods in the Government Printing
Office. The amounts. as has been stated
heretofore. have been widely divergent.
Several days ago il was shown that Mr..
Sullings had let a contract to The Audit
System for certain materials amounting
TO S4,ES.
Mr.. StilIngs has let contracts amount
ing to much less than $4,400 in several
cases, that will shortly be given, and
probably scores of instances which as yet
have been undisclosed.
In the case of the 81. 400 contract. it was
admitted that there may have been some
reason for the bid going to The Audit
System at the figures named, although one
firm, on material that must-without any
other explanation being forthcoming
have been OF an inferior grade. bid more
than 500 less than The Audit System,
In the early part Of June, 1901 the
Government Printing Office sent out
specifications for open-market pur-
chases" of 1900 blanks, &c, which were
TO be used it was stated in work for
the Department of Agriculture.
Bid of Firm Is S52.82.
On the supplying of these 100 blanks
one firm IN this city made a bid of Sj4
with per cent discount for cash in ten
days This left the amount of the firms
bid at 1922
On June p, 1907 notice of award from
the Government Printing Office (No.
le5D was sent out as follows:
Gentlemen; Referring to your proposition Of June,
e, quouhg price Of SEE for zoo blanks there
comes a statement Of what blanks are f0rI, have
10 inform sou that this material VIII be ordered from
The Audit System at S5L Fery truly yours,
CHAS. A. STILLINGS.
Public PRIMER.
Members Of this firm would not have
been surprised at losing out on prop
osition at the Government Printing
Ofice-they say that they and other
firms have almost uniformly done that
for many mOnths-but they were sur
prised that the bid Of the winner, The
Audit System. was so nea~ theirs,
This was not the only occasion on
which this firm lost out on almost ex-
actly similar bids for supplies, The
{ Aunt C4 4SAFAu NiAll4A5 SdIA tli4it be q
few cents The only difference be-
tween the first bid given in full and
the others was that in the statement
of what the blanks are to be used for.
Date Is Left Blank.
On the bottom Of the specifications
for open-market purchase" above re-
ferred TO, there is a line which this
firm thinks is farciCaL This line reads
as follows: Bids for above items will
/ be opened --. p. m. and no later -
/ The blank is left for the day, on which.
usually. all bidders are allowed to be
present, 1t being the public opening of
all proposals.
This omission OF filling in the day
| for the opening Of bids, this firm says.
| has been felt among others who have
come into contact with the Government
Printing once and The Audit System.
/ They say that they are not allowed to
he present when the proposals of all
firms are made public and the decision
is made by the Public Printer or by
some of his officials as TO who shall be
awarded contract.
Does The Audit System ever see the
| bids OF a firm which is bidding against
| il for supplies in the Government
| Printing ONCE? OF course not.
/ Could The Audit System possibly
| lower its bid or base its bid on what it.
| or some of its employees, might know
/ OF another firms proposal? ImpOssi-
| BILE.
Does Public Printer Charles A Stiu-
| ings not care to let firms which have
/ submitted bids see them opened as is
| customary in most Well-Tegulated Of
/ fees? Il seems so.