Apparent clerical mistakes
Apparent clerical mistakes in bids can be corrected before award if verified by the bidder, but corrections must be properly documented and not made directly on the original bid.
Overview
FAR 14.407-2 addresses how contracting officers should handle apparent clerical mistakes in bids during sealed bidding. The regulation allows for correction of obvious errors that are evident on the face of the bid, such as misplaced decimal points, incorrect discounts, reversed FOB terms, or unit designation mistakes. Before making any correction, the contracting officer must obtain verification from the bidder regarding their intended bid. Corrections are documented by attaching the bidder's verification to the original and duplicate bids, without altering the original bid document itself. For electronic bids, all relevant documents must be included in the electronic solicitation file. The corrected bid must be reflected in the award documentation, ensuring transparency and proper record-keeping.