Section 9.16 - Tabulation of Bids(a) Official bid amount. Except for lump sum building contract bid items, the official total bid amount for each bidder will be determined by multiplying the unit bid price written in for each item by the respective quantity and totaling those amounts.(b) Department interpretations.(1) Bids where unit bid prices have been left blank will be considered by the department to be incomplete and nonresponsive. If a bid has a regular and a corresponding alternate bid item or group of items, the bid will not be considered to be incomplete if either the regular bid item, or group of items, or the alternate bid item, or group of items, has a unit bid price entered. If both a regular bid item, or group of items, and a corresponding alternate bid item, or group of items, are left blank, the bid will be considered to be incomplete and nonresponsive. A bidder who elects to bid on a bid item group corresponding to a regular or alternate bid item, or group of items, must include unit bid prices for each bid item contained in the bid item group.(2) Bid entries such as no dollars and no cents, zero dollars and zero cents, or numerical entries of $0.00 will be interpreted to be one-tenth of a cent ($.001) and will be entered in the bid tabulation as $.001, except as provided in paragraph (6) of this subsection. Any entry extended to more than three decimal places will be rounded to the nearest tenth of a cent and entered as such. For rounding purposes contained in this subsection, entries of five-hundredths of a cent or more will be rounded up to the next highest tenth of a cent, while entries of four-hundredths of a cent or less will be rounded down to the next lowest tenth of a cent.(3) If the bidder submits both an electronic bid and a properly completed manual bid, the department will use the electronic bid to determine the total bid amount of the bid. If the bidder submits an electronic bid and a manual bid that is not complete, the department will use the electronic bid to determine the total bid amount of the bid.(4) If the bidder submits two or more manual bids, all responsive manual bids will be tabulated, and the department will use the lowest bid tabulation to determine the total bid amount of the bid.(5) If a unit bid price is illegible, the department will make a documented determination of the unit bid price for tabulation purposes.(6) If a unit bid price has been entered for both the regular bid item, or group of items, and a corresponding alternate bid item, or group of items, the department will determine the option that results in the lowest total cost to the state and tabulate as such, except as provided in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of this paragraph. If both the regular and alternate bids result in the same cost to the state, the department will select the regular bid item or items. (A) If both a regular bid item or a group of items, and a corresponding alternate bid item or group of items, have an entry such as no dollars and no cents, zero dollars and zero cents, or numerical entries of $0.00, the department will make two calculations using one-tenth of a cent ($.001) for each item as described in paragraph (2) of this subsection. The department will determine the option that results in the lowest total cost to the state and tabulate as such. If both the regular and alternate bids result in the same cost to the state, the department will select the regular bid item or items.(B) If a unit bid price greater than zero has been entered for either a regular bid or corresponding alternate bid item, or a group of items, and an entry of no dollars and no cents, zero dollars and zero cents, or a numerical entry of $0.00 has been entered for the other corresponding item, or group of items, the department will use the unit bid price that is greater than zero for bid tabulation.(c) Tie bids. In the event the official bid amount for two or more bidders is equal and those bids are the lowest submitted, each tie bidder will be given an opportunity to withdraw its bid. If two or more tie bidders decline to withdraw their bids, the low bidder will be determined by a coin toss. If all tie bidders request to withdraw their bids, no withdrawals will be allowed and the low bidder will be determined by a coin toss.(d) Bid guaranty. Not later than 72 hours after bids are opened, the department will mail the check or money order bid guaranty of each bidder except the apparent low bidder to the address specified on the return bidder's check form included in the bid. Bid bonds will not be returned.(e) Bid errors. The department will consider a bid error that meets the notification requirements contained in paragraph (1) of this subsection and satisfies the criteria contained in paragraph (2) of this subsection in the award of a contract. (1) The apparent low bidder must submit written notification of an alleged bid error to the department within five business days after the date bids are opened for the project. The notification must identify the items of work involved and must include bid documentation, such as quotes received, calculations made, or other related documentation used in bid preparation that substantiates the alleged error. Once the notification is submitted to the department, it may not be revised or supplemented unless additional information is requested by the department.(2) The department will consider the following criteria in determining whether a bid error exists: (A) the alleged bid error relates to a material item of work contained in the bid;(B) the alleged bid error is a significant portion of the total bid as compared to the intended bid contained in the documentation submitted by the contractor in accordance with paragraph (1) of this subsection, and other contractor bids;(C) the alleged bid error occurred despite the contractor's exercise of ordinary care in preparing its bid; and(D) delay in the completion of the project will not have a significant impact on the cost to and safety of the public.(3) The department may consider an alleged bid error caused by an effort to unbalance the bid as failure to exercise ordinary care.(4) When the engineer's estimate on a project is less than $300,000, the executive director may determine whether a bid error exists, under the same conditions and criteria as provided in paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection.43 Tex. Admin. Code § 9.16
The provisions of this §9.16 adopted to be effective November 23, 1994, 19 TexReg 8867; amended to be effective May 25, 1995, 20 TexReg 3574; amended to be effective December 12, 1999, 24 TexReg 10901; amended to be effective January 4, 2001, 25 TexReg 13007; amended to be effective July 18, 2002, 27 TexReg 6345; amended to be effective June 17, 2004, 29 TexReg 5795; amended to be effective December 11, 2008, 33 TexReg 10054; Amended by Texas Register, Volume 48, Number 15, April 14, 2023, TexReg 1968, eff. 4/20/2023