THE CONTRACTOR'S EXAMINATION OF THE PLANS 77 



also states the time and place for receiving bids and the 

 amount of the proposal bond. 



THE CONTRACTOR'S EXAMINATION OF THE PLANS 



If the contract is a lump-sum contract the plans must 

 be complete and perfect in every detail. If a unit-system 

 contract, it is not necessary that the plans be entirely com- 

 plete. 



These plans are usually blue-printed and prints are 

 sometimes furnished to prospective bidders either free or 

 for a deposit which is returned when the prints are returned. 

 Sometimes no prints are furnished for distribution and 

 prospective bidders are required to examine the plans in 

 the office of the board or commission. Then again blue- 

 prints are made on a reduced scale and are furnished 

 free in booklet form to all responsible applicants. This 

 method is up to date, convenient and cheap. Should 

 any parts of the prints be too small to be perfectly in- 

 telligible, the full-size drawings can be examined at the 

 office. The scales on all drawings which are to be 

 reduced by photography must be graphical scales so that 

 they may be reduced in the same ratio as any line on the 

 drawing. 



It is advisable to furnish prospective bidders with full 

 information in regard to the work. This will reduce the 

 amounts of the bids. It is the universal practice of bidders 

 to raise their bids where the element of uncertainty enters 

 in. For this reason in sewer work it is advisable in many 

 cases to make complete borings and prepare profiles, so that 

 bidders may know just what they are likely to encounter. 

 There may be a distinct understanding in the contract, 

 however, that the party of the first part will not hold itself 

 responsible for errors in said profiles nor become liable for 



