Are Your Bid Receipt Procedures Clear?

Do you have clear procedures for what to do if a bidder, after having submitted a bid, requests to withdraw and modify the bid, prior to the bid submittal deadline?

• What do your Instructions to Bidders say about this subject?
• Are your staff knowledgeable about what to do if a bidder asks for their bid back?
• Do they know what to do if the contractor then wants to resubmit the bid prior to the bid submittal deadline?
  

Here are some suggested procedures to ensure clarity in the bid receipt process.

• A bidder may request withdrawal of a bid submitted prior to the bid receipt deadline, either for the purpose of making changes to the bid, or for withdrawing the bid, subject to the following conditions:
• The requester provides sufficient identification (or is known to the staff) that they represent the bidder.
• A request may be received verbally or in writing.
• The request is received prior to the bid receipt deadline.
• Public agency staff should make a photocopy of the face of the bid envelope, ensuring that the bid receipt time shows up on the copy.
• Public agency staff should have the bidder sign the photocopy with the following: "Received by: [signature, printed name, date, and time]."
• Public agency staff should keep the photocopy of the face of the bid envelope and submit it to the appropriate contracting official.
• Public agency staff should remove the bid receipt stamp or cross it out from the face of the bid envelope.
• Public agency staff should then return the bid to the bidder, notifying the bidder that if they choose to resubmit the bid, it must be received prior to the bid receipt deadline and stamped in again with a new time and date stamp.