To get open and general competition in the work of a par ticular contract, bids are advertised for, and if the undertaking is a large one, blank forms of proposals are prepared by the engineer, to be filled in by the bidders. When bidders are called for it is often required that a fixed sum, known as a guaranty, be deposited with the bid to insure that the successful bidder— that is, the one whose bid is accepted will sign the contract and meet the necessary conditions. This deposit is forfeited to the party letting the work in case the bidder fails or refuses to enter into a contract for the performance of the work after the award has been made to him. The deposits made by the unsuccessful bidders are, of course, returned to them, and that of the successful bidder is held until he has entered into the called-for contract. If there were no such guaranty required, the party receiving the award might after more careful investigation refuse to undertake the contract for the sum stated, and in this way cause the delay and expense of readvertising the work. The advertiser usually states that he reserves the right to reject any or all bids, for if this is not done, the fair inference is that the contract will be let to the lowest bidder. Lesson No. 57. Instruction to Bidders It is impossible to make a fair and just bid upon any kind of work without the fullest knowledge of all the conditions and requirements involved. Note the following advertisement: OFFICE OF THE MAYOR, BIRMINGHAM, APRIL 9, 1899. - Sealed proposals will be received at this office until 12 o'clock noon, April 22, for building a six-foot sidewalk of two-inch pine plank, with 4 by 6 cedar runners resting on cedar ties, to extend on both sides of Main Street from Front Street to Hanover Street. Other necessary information may be obtained at this office. Before a contractor should offer a bid upon a piece of work of this kind he should make the most careful estimate (1) as to the actual cost of the material necessary, (2) as to the grading required, (3) as to the cost of labor, (4) as to the limit of time given for the completion of the contract. If these things have all been considered, and the sum of say $485 has been fixed upon as the lowest amount which will leave a reasonable amount of profit, the letter of proposal might properly take something like the following form: TO THE MAYOR OF BIRMINGHAM: Sir, APRIL 20, 1899. - The undersigned hereby proposes to build the sidewalks on both sides of Main Street as called for in your advertisement in the Herald, dated April 9, meeting all the conditions set forth, for the sum of Four Hundred and Eighty-Five Dollars ($485). 27 Main Street. Respectfully Yours, JAMES BROWN. Advertisements of large engineering and building contracts usually contain some such words as "plans, specifications, forms of proposal, and other information may be obtained upon application." In such cases it is necessary to make the proposal or bid upon the prescribed form prepared by the engineer or architect. As a general rule, the bidder should avoid including in his bid any suggestion or proposal not called for in the specifications. Where printed forms of proposal have been prepared by an architect or engineer, it is customary to reject all bids not made out on these forms, as well as all bids which, though made on the printed forms, have changed the conditions of the same in any particular, either by erasures, interlineations, or additional conditions. If the bidder considers it wise to submit a proposition in a different way, or with other conditions than those stated, he should submit his bid upon the printed form without correction or change, and then append to his bid an additional paper embodying such changes as he would wish to make, and the price he would make if these changes were agreed to. Building and engineering specifications consist of a series of specific provisions, each one of which defines and fixes some one element of the contract. These clauses relate usually (1) to the work to be done, and (2) to the business relations of the two parties to the contract. A standard authority upon specifications classifies the important general clauses as follows: 1. Time of commencing the work. 2. Time of completing the work. 3. Monthly estimates upon which to base installment payments. 4. Provision for inquiring into the correctness of the monthly estimates. 5. Reserving a certain percentage as a repair fund for a stated period after completion. 6. Conditions of the final acceptance of the work. 7. Determination of damages sustained through failure to complete work within the prescribed time. 8. No claims for damages on account of suspension of work. 9. No claims for damages on account of delay. 10. Protection of property and workmen. 11. Protection against claims for the use of patents. 12. Assignment of contract. 13. Contractor not released by subcontractor. 14. Cancellation of contract through default of contractor. 15. Workmen's quarters and other temporary buildings. 16. Cleaning up after completion. 17. Provision for public traffic. 18. Cost of examination of completed work. 19. Contract subject to interpretation or change by architect or engineer. 20. Documents composing the contract. The specifications will, of course, include the fullest par ticulars in detail of all the work to be done. When changes are introduced in the plans or specifications after the contract is let, such changes create a new contract, necessitating a new agreement as to compensation. Without a special clause authorizing such changes neither party could change the terms of the contract against the will of the other without breaking it; and furthermore, without some understanding as to how the compensation should be determined for such changes in plans or specifications, the owner would be at the mercy of the contractor; he could charge extravagant prices for the changes and there would be no remedy. It is customary to insert a clause providing for possible changes. In describing the work to be done the following particulars should be noted: Describe the work first as a whole, then in detail; describe every portion in clear and simple language; make all statements of measurements, weights, etc., positive and exact; make the particulars regarding material so clear as to allow no doubt or unexpected choice; rigidly enforce the letter as well as the spirit of the contract. It is a very common saying that the bookkeeping of architects and builders is the most slipshod and careless of any in the business world. It certainly should be quite as easy to prepare a plan for recording the debits and credits of building operations as to prepare plans and specifications for buildings costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. Almost any one conducting building or other similar operations should be able to frame a plan of bookkeeping adapted to his particular kind of work. The record, in any case, should be so clear and orderly that the contractor can get at a glance the fullest particulars of the cost or condition of any particular piece of work. All records should be immediately available in forming estimates for later bids. NOTES, HINTS, AND ANSWERS Lesson No. 1 1. Answer: $739.20. To find the total number of feet multiply 1760 by 3 and then by 20. Divide this by 50 to find the number of pieces each 50 ft. long. Then multiply by 35. 2. Answer: $291.65. 3. Answer: $4992. There would be 24 mi. of fence. Reduce to rods and multiply by 65. 4. Answer: 2673 in. 5. Answer: $6831. The water pipes will be exactly 1 mi. long. 1. Answer: 528 yd. 2. Answer: 1364 yd. 3. Answer: 310 ch. Lesson No. 2 Divide by 66. 4. Answer: $1,640,000. Divide by 80 to reduce chains. to miles; then multiply by price per mile. 5. Answer: $ 10,944. There will be 24 mi. of fence necessary. Multiply this by 80, and we get the number of chains. Notice that the entire farm is to be cut up into 8 square fields, each with an area of 1 sq. mi. Lesson No. 3 1. Answer: $27.44. Multiply 28 by 14 and then by 7. 2. Answer: 7,128 sq. in. 3. Answer: $20.25. 4. Answer: $183.15. 49 yd. in 9 rd. 5. Answer: $249.48. There are 5 yd. in a rod, and The fence is 126 rd. or 2079 ft. long. Multiply this by 24, and we have the number of |