14.407-2 Apparent clerical mistakes
Source: FAR 14.407-2 on acquisition.gov
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.
(a) Any clerical mistake, apparent on its face in the bid, may be corrected by the contracting officer before award. The contracting officer first shall obtain from the bidder a verification of the bid intended. Examples of apparent mistakes are-
(1) Obvious misplacement of a decimal point;
(2) Obviously incorrect discounts (for example, 1 percent 10 days, 2 percent 20 days, 5 percent 30 days);
(3) Obvious reversal of the price f.o.b. destination and price f.o.b. origin; and
(4) Obvious mistake in designation of unit.
(b) Correction of the bid shall be effected by attaching the verification to the original bid and a copy of the verification to the duplicate bid. Correction shall not be made on the face of the bid; however, it shall be reflected in the award document.
(c) Correction of bids submitted by electronic data interchange shall be effected by including in the electronic solicitation file the original bid, the verification request, and the bid verification.