460

LAWS OF MARYLAND.

CHAP. 269

fixed by them for opening said proposals, and not before that
day, and on the day fixed for opening said proposals the
said County Commissioners shall publicly open said bids
and shall examine the same and publicly award the contract
for making said construction to the lowest responsible bidder
or bidders; and the person or persons, firm or corporation
who shall be awarded the contract for constructing the said
bridge, shall immediately enter into a bond in double the

Bond to be
given.

amount of the contract price for constructing the said bridge,
and if said constructor shall fail to comply with all the
requirements and specifications of the same and fail within
five days to give the required bond, the said County Com-
missioners may give the work to the next lowest bidder or
advertise anew; provided that no contract be entered into or
bond received for the construction of said bridge unless the
whole cost of constructing said bridge completed and fit for
travel shall not exceed the amount hereby appropriated; and
the said bridge engineer shall, in making his plans and
specifications for constructing said bridge, give the County
Commissioners an estimate of the probable time required to
make said construction, and the probable cost of the same,
and each bidder for the work shall be required to state the
time he will require to finish said construction, and the suc-
cessful bidder shall give bond to complete the work within the
time stated in his proposal under a penalty of fifty dollars for
each day over the time required, and each bidder in naming
the time he shall require to complete said work shall not name
on working days or any number of days, but he shall fix in
his bid the day, month and year when he will have the work
completed and the bridge ready to turn over to the county
for public travel; and in considering said proposals, the
County Commissioners shall, provided the amount of the
bid is within the amount appropriated for said construction,

Time of com-
pletion of
work.

consider the time mentioned by each proposal for completing
the work, and may, in their judgment, award the contract to
some person, firm or corporation not actually the lowest
bidder, if, in their judgment, owing to the time required for
the completion of the work, and considering the cost of pro-
viding for public travel while said bridge is being con-
structed, said bid will be the least cost to the county.

SEC. 4. And be it enacted, That for the purpose of paying
for the construction of said bridge, the County Commis-