7.1.1 Need for Addendum

After the PS&E package has been submitted and processed through the DES – FPP (refer to the
PS&E Review and Processing Schedule
for more information), copies of the assembled contract proposal plans are available electronically and are forwarded to the responsible District and Division offices per the
Addendum Standard Operating Procedure SOP
. Personnel in these offices should re-check these documents to make sure that all necessary changes or corrections have been made. For various reasons, it is sometimes necessary to make changes to the plans or proposal. Any changes to these documents that must be made at this stage must be documented by the responsible office in the form of an addendum notice.
Addenda to be processed for a particular project are performed after the proposal release date as shown on the
PS&E Review and Processing Schedule
.
An addendum should be submitted for processing only when:
  • The competitiveness of the bid would be in jeopardy if the changes were not made;
  • The quantities are in error to a degree that could place the department at a disadvantage in negotiating significant corrections after contract award;
  • The bid documents would not be substantially representative of the project unless the change is made. This could include special design standard sheets, Special Specification, etc.; however, if a regularly used statewide standard sheet was omitted, it would not be considered significant, and an addendum would not be released. A change order should be used to add the missing statewide standard sheet; or
  • The project contains technical errors that would jeopardize awarding the contract.
To help identify changes to PS&E that should and should not be addenda, following are a few examples of addenda that
should not
 be pursued:
  • To renumber sheets on the title sheet or index of sheets, or to add sheet numbers that were omitted. This is not critical to bidders;
  • To change the title sheet to include one now signed by local officials in all released copies (having the original is adequate). It is not critical to the bidders to have that signature;
  • If a sheet in the plans that was released was not signed and sealed, it is necessary to get the original corrected, but it is not critical to the bidders to release an addendum; or
  • To change the quantity of riprap or add a few feet of curb and gutter is generally not critical to risk the project by issuing an addendum.
Consider the risk to a project by issuing an addendum - it must be critical to the bidders that they have this information
. Otherwise, those changes should be handled after the project is awarded.
There are also concerns when a potential error in the plans is brought to the attention of TxDOT by a potential bidder/contractor/supplier. When this occurs, there should not be any indication that
this will be changed prior to letting or by a change order
. If this is stated to anyone and not to all, then the potential exists that all bids may be thrown out. TxDOT should issue a thank you to the potential bidder/contractor/supplier for notification of the error and state that it
will be investigated and if a change is required, an addendum will be issued
. Otherwise, they are to bid the project just as they see it presented in the PS&E bid package.
No addenda will be processed prior to the proposal release date. Refer to the PS&E Review and Processing Schedule for specific dates.
Refer to TxDOT’s
Construction Contract Administration Manual
for more discussion on the use of addendums.