Court Opinion

ID: 9419312
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-02 22:48:37.85732+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:22:17.396642
License: Public Domain

Mr. Justice Douglas,
dissenting:
The contract with Penn Dairies was made by the War Department acting through the Quartermaster of the Army. The Quartermaster Corps, one of the statutory branches of the Regular Army (41 Stat. 759, 10 U. S. C. § 4) is charged “under the authority of the Secretary of *282War” with the “purchase and procurement for the Army of all supplies of standard manufacture and of all supplies common to two or more branches” of the Army, with exceptions not material here. 39 Stat. 170, 41 Stat. 766, 10 U. S. C. § 72. The procedure which controls purchases of supplies by the Quartermaster Corps is governed by the statutes and by the Army Regulations. There are statutory requirements for competitive bidding as respects the purchase of “all supplies” 1 and with particular reference to supplies purchased “for immediate use.” 2 The only exception relevant here is the case “where it is impracticable to secure competition.” 10 U. S. C. § 1201. The policy is plain — it is intended that the United States should get the full benefit of price competition in its *283purchases of Army supplies. See United States v. Purcell Envelope Co., 249 U. S. 313, 318.
Statutory authority is vested in the Secretary of War to prescribe rules and regulations covering the preparation, submission, and opening of bids “for contracts under the War Department.” 20 Stat. 36, 22 Stat. 487, 5 U. S. C. § 218. The Secretary pursuant to this authority has issued numerous regulations governing competitive bidding. Regulation No. 5-100, Par. lid, August 7, 1940, specifically prohibits use of appropriated funds for payments under contracts containing prices fixed by state law “until there has been an authoritative and final judicial determination that such State statutes are applicable to such contracts.”3 The policy of the War Department has been well established. The Judge Advocate- General stated in April 1941 that “the War Department has consistently taken and maintained the position that price-fixing measures of the states have no application to procurements by the War Department.” Whatever ambiguity may have existed in other regulations has been removed.4
*284We have then regulations of the War Department made pursuant to powers delegated by Congress and which prohibit the Army’s contracting officers from waiving competitive bidding merely because prices are fixed by the states. I am unable to see why they are not valid regulations. Congress has said that competitive bidding “shall” be required except where it is “impracticable to secure competition.” 10 U. S. C. § 120Í. The word “impracticable” does not suggest that wherever there is state price-fixing competitive bidding is not required. A thing is “impracticable” to do when it is infeasible or incapable of being done. The contract which the Quartermaster made with Penn Dairies is conclusive of the fact that it was not “impracticable” to obtain the milk through competitive bidding. A regulation which interprets “impracticable” so as not to preclude competitive bidding because of state price-fixing stays well within tñe scope of the rule making power. These War Department regulations accordingly “have the force of law.” Standard Oil Co. v. Johnson, 316 U. S. 481, 484, and cases cited. Their application in this case therefore has no less force and effect than if it was specifically directed by Congress. We have then an assertion of federal power in the field of price control which by reason of the supremacy clause excludes any exercise of a conflicting state power. See Sinnot v. Davenport, 22 How. 227; McDermott v. Wisconsin, 228 U. S. 115; Pennsylvania R. Co. v. Illinois Brick Co., 297 U. S. 447; Hines v. Davidowitz, 312 U. S. 52; Cloverleaf Butter Co. v. Patterson, 315 U. S. 148.
Mr. Justice Black and Mr. Justice Jackson join in this dissent.

 “Except in cases of emergency or where it is impracticable to secure competition, or in cases otherwise provided for, the purchase of all supplies for the use of the various departments, and posts of the Army and of the branches of the Army sendee shall only be made after advertisement; and said supplies shall be purchased where the same can be purchased the cheapest, quality and cost of transportation and the interests of the Government considered.” 31 Stat. 905, 32 Stat. 514, 10 U. S. C. § 1201. And see R. S. § 3709, 41 U. S. C. §5.

 “All purchases of regular and miscellaneous supplies for the Army furnished by the Quartermaster Corps for immediate use shall be made by the officers of such corps, under direction of the Secretary of War, at the places nearest the points where they are needed, the conditions of cost and quality being equal: Provided, That all purchases of said supplies, except in cases otherwise provided for, and except in cases of emergency, which must be at once reported to the Secretary of War for his approval, shall be made by contract after public notice of not less than ten days for small amounts for immediate use, and of not less than from thirty to sixty days whenever, in the opinion of the Secretary of War, the circumstances of the case and conditions of the service shall warrant such extension of time. The award in every case shall be made to the lowest responsible bidder for the best and most suitable article, the right being reserved to reject any and all bids.” 23 Stat. 109, 37 Stat. 591, 10 U. S. C. § 1200.

 This Regulation reads as follows: “Appropriated funds may not be used for payments under awards upon invitations for bids containing restrictive requirements of showing compliance with State price-fixing laws relating to services, commodities, or articles necessary to be purchased by the United States until there has been an authoritative and final judicial determination that such State statutes are applicable to such contracts. It is not the duty or responsibility of contracting officers of the Federal Government, by means of restrictive specifications, to enforce contractors to comply with the requirements of price-fixing acts of a State.”

 Army Reg. No. 5-240, February 11, 1936, as amended July 6, 1938, provided in paragraph (4) (g) (3) that “purchase may be made in the open market without competition” when the “price is fixed by Federal, State, municipal, or other competent legal authority.” It should be noted that this was a permissive and not a mandatory requirement. On May 10, 1941, paragraph (4) (g) was amended so as to omit any reference to governmental price fixing.