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Allegation That IFB Was Ambiguous

B-192994 Jun 22, 1979
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Highlights

A company protested the failure of the Veterans Administration to clarify certain drawings and specifications in an invitation for bids (IFB). The protester maintained that the drawings and specifications were so indefinite and ambiguous that competitive bidding was impossible. Provisions of the IFB are ambiguous only where two or more reasonable interpretations are possible. Therefore, the IFB which required bidders to submit alternative bids on progressively smaller quantities of work was not made ambiguous by accompanying drawings which referred to "bid options." The bid items were defined in terms of the IFB bid form and it was clear that the drawings merely comtemplated a different type of bidding format than that which was ultimately used. The allegation that the contractor should be able to determine every detail of the scope and extent of work from IFB documents alone was without merit since the Government is not always able to draft precise specifications. No basis was found for viewing the specifications as deficient. The protest was denied.

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