• Why is there a charge for specifications?
• I was only two minutes late to the bid opening, so why wasn't my bid accepted?
• I was not the winning bidder, am I able to have my bid or proposal sent back to me?
• Why were all the bids for the project rejected?
• Does the low bidder always receive the award?

Why is there a charge for specifications?

Not all projects have a charge associated with bid specifications.  Some bids and proposals are more labor and supply intensive to prepare and will require a fee.

I was only two minutes late to the bid opening, so why wasn't my bid accepted?

Deadlines for bids and proposals are firm.  The deadlines are listed in the newspaper, on the website, and in the specifications.  If your bid is not here by the deadline, it cannot be accepted.  There are no exceptions.

I was not the winning bidder, am I able to have my bid or proposal sent back to me?

All bids and proposals submitted become the property of North Allegheny School District.  Both winning and losing bids are required to be kept on site for auditing purposes.

Why were all the bids for the project rejected?

It is stated in all bid specifications that the Board of School Directors can reject any project for any reason.  The most common reasons include:

• Only one or two bids was received for the project.
• The costs for the bids submitted were too high and exceeded the projected budget.
• The range of the bids submitted varied too much. 

Does the low bidder always receive the award?

The specifications state that the District will award the project to the lowest responsible bidder.  In many cases, the low bid presented is from a responsible vendor.  There are cases where the low bidder has withdrawn their bid within the 48 hour window.  For information regarding bid awards, it is suggested to contact the Department after the Board of School Directors votes on the item.