78 LABOR AND CONTRACTS 



errors. Similarly, in other work, as much information 

 should be furnished as possible. 



Prospective bidders should be advised to make a per- 

 sonal examination of the site of the work and they should be 

 notified that they themselves are held responsible for the 

 accuracy of the information furnished by the party of the 

 first part. It should be said, however, in this connection, 

 that courts of law may not support the party of the first 

 part in its effort to relieve itself of responsibility, especially 

 where gross blunders have been made. 



Each prospective bidder is given a proposal blank and 

 a set of specifications. The proposal blank is a form in 

 which each bidder inserts his prices and fills out an agree- 

 ment, stating that if he is awarded the contract he will 

 accept it. The proposal also contains the bond to secure 

 the agreement. 



The specifications, so called, are the specifications proper 

 for all of the different kinds of work to be done under the 

 contract; and also include a blank form similar to that in 

 the proposal to be filled in by the successful bidder, to- 

 gether with a contract bond to secure the agreement. As 

 soon as the contract is duly executed, the proposal bonds 

 all become void. 



The various articles in the specifications stating how the 

 work is to be done should of course be suited to the par- 

 ticular undertaking in question. The ' paste-pot and 

 scissors method ' used by some engineers is not above 

 criticism. Then, too, there are engineers who have a way 

 of writing what may seem to be unnecessarily strict speci- 

 fications to protect themselves against contractors on the 

 lookout for loopholes in the agreement. Contractors soon 

 learn the personality of an engineer and in preparing their 

 bids take it into consideration. 



