Show I I MORE UN ON THE SEWER SER BIDS Collusion Talk Directed at Con Contractors COI Contractors tractors Who Are the Low Lowest Lowest Lowest est Bidders FIGURES BELOW ESTIMATE CHARGE OF EXORBITANT IN INSPECTION INSPECTION INSPECTION FEES FEE EXPLODED 1 I Thc rhe council finance committee is ish holding h up the sewer contracts award awarded ed to Strange to t Maguire and Davis Heuser on extensions Nos and respectively because some of its mem meal members members bers hers believe that there was collusion between the bidders When the bids were opened op ned by the board Mr Heuser of Davis Heuser asked that his bid b d the lowest on OD No be thrown out which naturally would permit the contract to go to the next lowest bidder Strange Ma Maguire Maguire guire He said he was willing to for forfeit forfeit feit felt his check In the bid of Strange Maguire which was the lowest on No a provision was in inserted Inserted inserted by the bidder that If the con contracts contracts contracts tracts for both No to and No were not lIot awarded to them neither would tie lie accepted The board ignored both sug suggestions and awarded No to Strange Maguire anNo to Da Davis Davis Davis vis Heuser Heu r Because of this alone the charge of collusion has been made The finance committee will make a report on the matter next Monday evening Davis Heuser at a meeting of the board of works yesterday surrendered their check and withdrew from the No extension leaving the field open to Strange Maguire the next lowest bidder The Lowest Bidders The bids on No were as follows Strange Maguire Ma Davis Heuser J D Hanley and the Campbell Building company The engineers estimate on thi this work was which is more than the Strange Maguire bid and it would appear that If there was any collusion in awarding the job fob to Strange Maguire it is 15 because they are the lowest bidders As far as No Is concerned Davis Heuser bid and the Strange Maguire bid was exactly more Campbell was the third lowest and Hanley highest of all allIn allIn allIn In regard to the cost of inspection and engineering expense on extension I No which has just been completed by b Davis Heuser there seems to have been a serious error in the fig figures figures figurea ures urea given gien The Herald The city en engineer engineer engineer stated that the job had not been completed and that only had been paid out of the total contract I price of This is misleading in that the work is done although the city has only paid for about a third of it ft Thus the cost of engineering and inspection should sh be calculated on the entire amount paid If this is done it shows that proportionately the cost of engineering and Inspection has only been more on this work than on the Hanley contract for No I I i Save the City Money Moey That is to say the charge on exten extension extension sion siti No for engineering and in inspection Inspection inspection was per cent of the whole cost while on No it was per percent percent percent cent In addition to this the bid of Davis Davisi i J Heuser saved the tile city on this work as it was that amount below the next lowest bidder Both Mr M h Strange and Mr Heuser deny emphatically and with every evl evi evidence dence of honesty that any collusion existed between In bidding on any business for the city Mr Strange has not been a bidder for any city work since he bid on the Big Cottonwood conduit Since then he has worked mainly in Wyoming and when he bid bidon bidon bidon on the sewer seuer extensions mentioned he did not know that Davis Heuser had submitted bids until five fie minutes be before before before fore they the were opened Mr Strange was formerly of ot the firm of Clement Strange which the past pas three years ears has hl hd done don over I worth of work in the northwest Strange Maguire own a outfit in Montana and Mr Mi 11 Strange has been in municipal contracting business since he was 17 Ii years of age His bid on No is the lowest re received received I by the city in two years with the exception pf pt that on No which Hanley captured several months ago If it Is la held hed by b the council that Strange Maguire in extension No and Davis Heuser In No o are arc barred by reason of the suspicion of collusion the acceptance of the next lowest l west bids those tho e of J T D Hanley and the Campbell Building company will cost the abutting property owners an additional |