Evening star., 1949-03-20
Competitive Bidding
Plan for White House
Work Surprises PBA

Work Surprises PBA.
"A reported agreement of the
Senate Appropriations Commit
tee to demand competitive bid
ding on the bulk of a s5,400, 900
remodeling job at the White
House came as a surprise yeSter-
day to Public Buildings Admins
tration officials who would have
to let the contract.
The PBA, having conducted a
$4,000 survey to determine what
should be done to make the White
House safe for the President and
his family. had recommended that
contracts be let on a cost-plus
fixed fee basis.
A committee member, who re-
fused to be quoted by name, said
the competitive bidding require
ment was agreed to after three
days Of discussion on the White
House item in the first deficiency
bill for the current fiscal year.
It also was reported that the
committee agreed to exempt from
competitive bidding the furniture
and furnishings-a 100000 item
and contracts for the under
pinning-a $S50,000 item.
Delay Seen.
PBA officials, before this became
known, had said awarding Of con-
tracts on competitive bidding
would delay the start of con-
struction considerably. Lorenzo
S. Winslow, architect of the White
House, estimated a delay Of per
haps three months" He hoped the
committees action would not
stand.
The deficiency bill is not ex-
pected to be reported to the Sen
ate until probably the middle Of
this week. There is one remain
ing item up for consideration. it
was said. That is a clause to pro-
vide payment of salary to Michael
w. Straus, Reclamation Commis-
sioner. over which there has been
a brisk fight.
The House bill repeals a provi-
sion of existing law that no part
of Bureau of Reclamation funds
may be paid to the Commissioner
and certain assistants unless they
are qualified engineers" with
administrative experience. Mr..
Straus is not an engineer but he
has been an Interior Department
official for Is years.
Bet Offer Reported.
A member of the Senate Com
mittee told reporters PBA officials
contended that no contracts had
been promised for the major re-
construction of the interior. But,
he said, one Republican member
of the committee offered to bet
Acting PBA Administrator Harry
G. Hunter that he could name two
contractors who would get the
job. Mr.. Hunter rejected the bet.
Asked about this later, Mr..
Hunter said he would prefer not to
divulge happenings at an execu-
tive session of the committee.
Mr.. Winslow's comment on the
incident was: Ridiculous"
At recent hearings. Commis-
sioner w. E. Reynolds revealed
that the PBA would like to have
the firm of Spencer, White &
Prentis of New York City get the
contract for the important under
ground job. That is because, ne
said, they are the "outstanding en-
gineers and architects in the
world on this sort of thing"
Extras for Contingencies Seen. =,
The White House architect said
yesterday that competitive bid
ding on alterations Of the kind
necessary to be done at the White
House. would result in the Govern
ment paying additional costs for
contingencies" s."
Mr.. Reynolds had told the com
mittee that on competitive bid
ding basis "if the contractor
doesn't need the contingencies he
had provided for, that is all proflt
for him"
Omcials said that almost all
important underground jobs are
exempted from competitive bid
ding in order to reduce the costs
The $s50,00 cost for the White
House underpinning, Charles
Spencer told the committee, wa.
an estimate on which his firm and
the P.B.A. were in accord.
He would add "a couple Of hun
dred thousands Of dollars" to the
estimate, however, under competi-
tive bidding" he said.
Mr.. Hunter said the plans and
specifications for the job are in
pretty good shape" and would
not require much additional time
to complete. But we can't do
thing until the final action OF
Congress tells us what is to be
done and how it is to be done.
he explained.
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