SPIRO T. AGNEW, Governor                      1457

shall advertise for at least two weeks in one or more newspapers
published in each county in which the highway lies, and for three
consecutive issues in at least one daily newspaper published in
Baltimore City, for sealed proposals for the construction of said
highway, accurately describing the same and stating the time and
place for opening said proposals, and reserving the right to reject
any and all proposals; said proposals shall be publicly opened at the
time specified in said advertisement, and the contract for such work
or for the supplies and materials required for such construction
shall be awarded by the Commission to the lowest responsible bidder,
unless in the opinion of said Commission the interests of the State
shall be better served by awarding the contract to some other bidder,
when this may be done. All such work which shall be done by the
said Commission, whether on State roads, county roads or municipal
streets, the labor and materials of which are estimated to cost over
[three thousand dollars ($3,000)] ten thousand dollars ($10,000),
SIX THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($6,500.00) shall
be advertised as aforesaid, except such labor and materials as
may be required from time to time to maintain the various roads
to the width and cross section, as previously or originally constructed.
The construction and improvement of all State highways or parts
thereof shall be under the supervision and subject to the approval
of the said Commission, in accordance with the plans and specifi-
cations prepared by the chief engineer and approved by said Com-
mission. In all cases where the contract for work and materials
shall be given out after competitive bidding the successful bidder
shall promptly execute a formal contract to be approved as to its
form, terms and conditions by said Commission, and shall also
execute and deliver to said Commission a good and sufficient bond
to be approved by said Commission to the State of Maryland in not
less than the amount of the contract price. In no case shall any such
bond be approved or accepted unless the obligors bind themselves
therein to the payment of all just debts for labor and materials
incurred by the bidder in the construction and improvement of the
road contracted for. To all such bids there shall be attached the
certified check of the bidder, or a cashier's or treasurer's check
drawn upon a bank, and the bidder who has the contract awarded
to him and who fails to promptly and properly execute the contract
and bond shall forfeit the said contract. The said check shall be
taken and considered as liquidated damages, and not a penalty, for
failure of said bidder to execute said contract and bond. Upon the
execution of said contract and bond by a successful bidder his check
shall be returned to him. The amount of the check to be attached to
the bid shall be based on the aggregate amount of the bid submitted
and covered by the following table:

Aggregate
Amount of Bid                                                 Amount of Check

Less than $ 20,000......................................................................................$    500

$ 20,000 to 50,000......................................................................................    1,000

50,000 to 75,000 ......................................................................................    1,500

75,000 to      125,000.......................................................................................    2,000

125,000 to      175,000 .......................................................................................    2,500

175,000 to      225,000.......................................................................................    3,000

225,000 to      275,000 .......................................................................................   4,000

275,000 to      325,000.......................................................................................    5,000

325,000 to      375,000.......................................................................................    6,000