Opinion ID: 2552490
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: Violation of competitive bidding requirements

Text: [¶ 32] Whitlock next claims the JPB, the WWDC, and Prior violated the competitive bidding requirements by awarding the contract to a bidder whose bid materially deviated from the invitation to bid. In support of the claim, Whitlock cites a number of cases, including State v. Weisz & Sons, Inc., 713 P.2d 176 (Wyo.1986). [¶ 33] In Weisz, the Department of Administration and Fiscal Control (DAFC) rejected the low bidder on a slurry injection contract for not being responsive and awarded the contract to the second low bidder. The trial court reversed, enjoined DAFC from awarding the contract to anyone but the low bidder, and held that DAFC abused its discretion when it decided the low bidder's failure to include certain documents was a material variance. [¶ 34] On appeal to this court, the issue in Weisz was whether a trial court has the authority to substitute its discretion for that of a state agency and award a contract through an injunction. The court held that under the facts presented, the trial court should have deferred to the judgment and discretion of DAFC and had no authority to award the contract. [¶ 35] The court quoted art. II, § 2 of the Wyoming Constitution which provides: The powers of the government of this state are divided into three distinct departments: The legislative, executive and judicial, and no person or collection of persons charged with the exercise of powers properly belonging to one of these departments shall exercise any powers properly belonging to either of the others, except as in this constitution expressly directed or permitted. Weisz, at 184. The court said: The judicial department has jurisdiction over acts that are illegally done, but to extend its power over acts done in good faith, pursuant to the exercise of an honest judgment, and within the jurisdiction of the person or persons performing them, would be, in the absence of legislative authorization, judicial usurpation inconsistent with the fundamental constitutional principle of division of power. Id. (quoting Bunten v. Rock Springs Grazing Ass'n, 29 Wyo. 461, 476, 215 P. 244, 248 (1923)). The court went on to say that courts are warranted in setting aside action of an administrative agency only where its action is arbitrary or fraudulent or where there is an illegal exercise of discretion. Id. The court used the words dishonesty, bad faith, illegality, and oppressiveness to describe agency action warranting judicial intervention. The term abuse of discretion in its application to agency conduct, the court said, carries with it a connotation of illegal and other conduct smacking of censurable behavior, justifying judicial intervention. Id. at 185. [¶ 36] Applying these principles, we are unable to find from the statutes, applicable law, rules and regulations, and the record on appeal that the procedures followed by the JPB, WWDC, and Prior were anything but lawful, reasonable, and in the exercise of honest judgment, good faith, and accepted competitive bidding practices. Under these circumstances, we will not interfere and substitute our judgment for that of the JPB or the WWDC. [2] [¶ 37] Whitlock goes on at some length in his brief about the deficiencies contained in Larry's bid, including the failure to acknowledge addendas to the contract, the failure to list equipment, and the listing of only one subcontractor. We are satisfied that these are matters of judgment with which the judicial branch may not interfere. As the court said in Weisz: It is the responsibility of the public agency, which is charged with contracting, to accept that bid which, in its judgment, would provide the best project for the money. Inherent to its duties, presumed superior knowledge, and expertise, the responsible public authority must have wide latitude in which to exercise its judgment as to the best means of accomplishing that objective, and courts are reluctant to enjoin such administrative functions in the absence of dishonesty, fraud, collusion, or lack of good faith. Weisz at 185-86. As the court also said: It is a general rule that bids for public contracts must substantially comply with the requirements of the specifications for bidding and the directions to prospective bidders. The determination as to whether these requirements are satisfied and the awarding of a contract are acts of discretion which will be enjoined only if done illegally, arbitrarily, capriciously, or unreasonably. Weisz, at 186. [¶ 38] Whitlock has presented no evidence which persuades us that the acts of the JPB, the WWDC, or Prior were illegal, unreasonable, arbitrary, capricious, dishonest, fraudulent, in bad faith, or collusive.