These are the “red flags” of bid manipulation:
- Inadequate controls over the opening, recording and handling of bids
- Indications of changes to bids after they are received
- Certain bids are rejected because of allegedly missing components
- Unusual changes to the scoring of bids
- Highly subjective or unbalanced evaluation criteria that can be used to manipulate the bid scores
- Missing or inadequate documentation to support the recommendation for contract award, e.g., the failure to rank bid prices
- A qualified bidder is disqualified for questionable reasons
- All bids are voided for “errors” in contract specifications and the job is re-bid
- Complaints from bidders about changes to bids