Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 94, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 August 1909 — New Forms for Township Bidding. [ARTICLE]

New Forms for Township Bidding.

Indianapolis, August 10.—The state board of accounts, which under the recently enaefew law, Is to have supervision of the public books and records of the township, town, jcity, county and state offices, has begun to send to the 1,016 township trustees the blank forms prepared by the board for bidders on contracts for township supplies. The form is known as Form 9, the- preceding eight forms being circular letters and letters of instfuction. The new form embodies the suggestions of Governor Marshall concerning declarations which will be required of all bidders concerning their prices. Under the provisions each bidder will be required to subscribe to the following: “The bidder declares and represents as an inducement to the acceptance of the proposals hereto attached that the prices set forth herein are just and usual; that he has not offered to nor received from any person, firm, board, commissioner, trustee or corporation a less price for the articles embraced in this bid than that stated herein except (here a blank is left for recording the exception); that if this bidder shall offer to receive from any person, firm, board, commission, trustee or corporation during the continuance of the contract sought hereunder, a less price than that herein stated, excepting only such as shall be caused by usual and recorded market changes, he consents that the difference shall be deducted from any sum due to him under said contract, or, if there be none, that said difference may be recovered from him by appropriate action, as a liquidated indebtedness, and it is hereby agreed by this bidder that this stipulation shall be inserted in and be a part of any contract that may be entered into upon this bid; and this bidder further represents and agrees that he will not directly or indirectly, withdraw this bid from the office in which it is filed, and that the same shall, in the manner and form in which it is made, become and remain a part of the public documents In said office.” An attached statement to be signed by the bidder contains the following: “That the bid is not made as a speculation; that it will be executed and fulfilled by the bidder; that it correctly describe? the articles on which the bid is based; that the bidder does not offer to sell the same article under another name or classification for a different price nor will he do so; that the price set forth i 6 just, not unusual, and not excessive; that the bidder has entered into no combination, collusion or agreement with any person concerning the bids, and that the bidder has not offered to or received from any other source a price less than that submitted for the articles specified; that no person other than the bidder has any interest in the proceeds to be derived from the contract; that no Induceliaent other than that which appears on the face of the document has or will enter into the proposed agreement; that the bidder has not nor will he enter into an agreement to divide any share of the proceeds with any other person; that the bidder is not directly or indirectly interested in any other bid or proposal for supplying the articles named in the bid to the corporation seeking the bids; that the bidder is not bound, controlled, influenced, restricted or limited in any way or manner by an agreement, combination, arrangement or understanding, express or implied, with any person, firm or corporation, as to the state, county, city, town, township, district or other municipal subdivision or board or any place or territory in or before which he shall or may bid or compete for a contract of this kind, nature or substance sought under this bid; and that the bidder has not colluded, conspired, connived or agreed in any manner or form with any person whomsoever to prevent, withhold, control, restrict, limit, retard or impede bidding for the contract sought by the bid therein.” The affidavit shall declare, over his signature and under oath, that he has carefully read the provisions of the bid form and understands them. The purpose pet forth by the governor In asking the accounting board to make the conditions so iron-clad as outlined is to prevent recurrence of conditions which have been reported from time to time concerning bidding on township supplies. A recent disclosure of a "gentleman’s agreement” in township bids submitted in a township in Wayne county was taken largely Into consideration in preparing the township forms. Try the classified column.