Opinion ID: 313975
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Pertinent Principles

Text: 21 1. The District Court's memorandum adverts to certain matters that, on reflection, we find to be not material. We refer, for example, to the fact that plaintiff's bid was opened first. If it was sufficient in law as a bid, it would make no difference whether it were opened first or last, and counsel for plaintiff-appellee agreed, when pressed at oral argument. 22 2. Similarly as to the statements of plaintiff's representatives, at the bid opening and later in writing, that its intention in signing Appendix A was to commit plaintiff to hire the minimums in the range of percentages set forth in Appendix A. The question is, at best, the effect of the bid as signed and submitted. Certainly if it did not bind plaintiff, the later statements could not cure the omission. The effect of such an approach would be to permit a bidder who repented his bid-perhaps on seeing that his bid was too far below the next bidder to be economically sound-to step away from the matter by simply failing to supply the omission. 23 3. A legal question arose whether a contractor who omitted the specific goals had bound himself, whether he might successfully argue that he had failed to complete the indispensable pre-requisite for any commitment; that the contract document must be construed strictly against the party who prepared it [the Government], and as prepared the document did not provide for a commitment in the absence of insertion of specific goals. 8 24 Is the procurement officer required to resolve this legal question, which at the very least the wording of the Appendix sought to avoid? Even if he projected as probable that a Federal court would ultimately rule, as Judge Gasch did, that there was such a commitment, is the procurement officer required to buy a lawsuit? 9 Is not the Government's interest in this commitment important enough to require it in the bid, as filed, in the form of specific goals, without any question as to supplementation, and without any if, ands, or buts? 25 4. The problem thus far discussed supports the reasonableness of the procurement officer's rejection of the bid. There must also be taken into account that this is not a case where the requirements of the bid in question were initiated by the authorities handling the procurement, or even by their agency. These provisions were mandated by the Secretary of Labor. The paragraph incorporating Appendix A into the IFB states that the appendix stipulates Contractor responsibilities under government requirements for affirmative action to assure compliance with Equal Employment Opportunity Requirements of Executive Order 11246 for Federally involved Construction Contracts. 26 Appendix A is substantially the same as the contents of the Washington Plan, adopted by the Secretary of Labor, and published in the Federal Register for December 22, 1970, 35 F.R. 19352 ff; see 41 C.F.R. Sec. 60-5.1 et seq. This is an order by the Secretary of Labor, which provides, 40 C.F.R. Sec. 60-5.21: 27 Sec. 60-5.21 Order. 28 After full consideration and in view of the foregoing it is: 29 (a) Ordered: 30 (1) That no contracts or subcontracts shall be awarded for Federal and federally-assisted construction in the Washington, D. C., Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area on projects whose estimated cost exceeds $500,000 unless the bidder completes and submits, prior to bid opening, the document identified as Appendix A, Notice of Requirement for Submission of Affirmative Action Plan to Ensure Equal Employment Opportunity or a substantially similar document, which shall include specific goals of minority manpower utilization for each trade designated below which will be used by the contractor on all of his work within the Washington, D. C. Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area during the term of his performance of the contract, such goals to be established by the contractor at least within the ranges established by these rules. 31 (2) A bidder who fails or refuses to complete or submit such goals shall not be deemed a responsive bidder and may not be awarded the contract or subcontract, but such goals need be submitted only for those trades to be used in the performance of the Federally-involved contract. In no case shall there be any negotiation over the provisions of the specific goals submitted by the bidder after the opening of bids and prior to the award of the contract. (emphasis supplied). 32 The authority of the Secretary of Labor is established by Executive Order 11246, Equal Employment Opportunity, 30 C.F.R. 12319 (Sept. 24, 1965), which provides: 33 Sec. 201. The Secretary of Labor shall be responsible for the administration of Parts II and III of this Order and shall adopt such rules and regulations and issue such orders as he deems necessary and appropriate to achieve the purposes thereof. 34