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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1876 | 9 |
| 1877 | 22 |
| 1878 | 5 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 2 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 14 |
| 1884 | 7 |
| 1885 | 14 |
| 1886 | 9 |
| 1887 | 9 |
| 1888 | 7 |
| 1889 | 22 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 27 |
| 1892 | 43 |
| 1893 | 43 |
| 1894 | 42 |
| 1895 | 43 |
| 1898 | 4 |
| 1899 | 10 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 15 |
| 1904 | 20 |
| 1905 | 3 |
| 1907 | 2 |
| 1908 | 8 |
| 1909 | 27 |
| 1910 | 3 |
| 1911 | 1 |
| 1912 | 3 |
| 1914 | 5 |
| 1915 | 16 |
| 1916 | 12 |
| 1917 | 11 |
| 1923 | 3 |
| 1924 | 5 |
| 1925 | 2 |
476 stories matching bid
- The Price of the Official Record
Aberdeen's county commissioners sparked controversy by awarding a printing contract to the lowest bidder, despite allegations of falsified circulation figures.
- The Bid That Didn’t Stick: Stevens County’s $219,500 Bond Deal Goes Bust
A Chicago bond house wins the county’s funding issue, then fails to make good; Denver’s Rollins Sons steps in with a premium bid.
- Legal Battle Over Pullman College Construction
The Board of Regents of what would become Washington State University defended itself against allegations of bid rigging in a Superior Court case.
- The Steamboat Betrayal
A local captain accuses Ottawa officials of reneging on a mail contract after he already invested in the route.
- The Price of Public Care
King County officials weigh competing bids for the medical and basic care of the county's poor in 1883.
- Local Contractor Wins Highway Bid Amid Board Debate
County Commissioners grapple with local versus lowest-cost bidding in the construction of the Kennewick-Finley Highway.
- The Paper Trail of Patronage
A bold act of civic favoritism in King County sees the Board of Commissioners award a lucrative printing contract to a higher bidder, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill.
- Seattle Hires a Contractor to Keep South School From Sliding Into the Street
The school board awards an emergency bulkhead job after nine bids and a bonding standoff, with work required before the autumn rains.
- The Battle for the Transport Outfits
A scramble between Seattle and Tacoma merchants for the lucrative business of supplying the government transport vessel 'Albert' reveals the early friction of regional economic rivalry.
- State College Regents Accused of Inflating Contract Bids
A Tacoma dispatch reports laboratory equipment priced at $3,700 when the college chemist said it could be had for $1,700 — and a college hall contract nearly double the low bid.
- The Fight for the County Printing Contract
The Kennewick Courier protests the county commissioners' failure to award them the county printing contract, arguing it was a violation of legal and professional standards.
- Connecting the Lakes: Seattle's 1886 Tunnel Project
A new industrial contract promises to link Lake Union and Lake Washington, forever altering the local landscape to facilitate the region's burgeoning timber industry.
- The Crossing at Black River
In 1877, King County sought bids for a new bridge, marking a quiet moment of infrastructure expansion in a landscape that would soon be permanently altered by river rerouting.
- Who Cares for the Poor in King County?
A call for sealed bids to provide housing and medical care for the county's indigent population in 1877.
- The $8,000 Schoolyard Fight
A losing contractor accuses Seattle’s school board of steering a South School grounds contract to a favored bidder and wasting taxpayer money. The board fires back that the cheapest bids were unsafe and that a $25,000 schoolhouse was at risk of falling.
- The Price of Poverty in Pioneer Seattle
King County officials put out a call for bids to house and feed the 'indigent poor,' treating human welfare as a municipal contract.
- Hoquiam’s School Board Prioritizes Local Business Over Outsiders
While Hoquiam mandates that local contractors perform school heating work, Aberdeen officials look to Tacoma for technical installations.
- Seattle's Musicians Union Cracks Down on a Band Accused of Cutting Rates
A union fine against Lancer & Lueben's bandleader opens a widening fight over underbidding, jealousy and the union scale.
- A $12,000 Bridge to Richland—and a Lesson in Low Bids
Benton County commissioners reject four steel-bridge bids and hire the Coast Bridge Company to replace the Yakima River crossing with two Howe-truss spans.
- The County Printing War: Seattle's Oldest Paper Claims Moral High Ground in Bid for Public Contracts
In May 1877, the publisher of Seattle’s leading newspaper defends his bid for county printing contracts against rivals who accused him of greed, arguing that 'the laborer is worthy of his hire' and that public money should support a responsible local press.
- The Battle for the Aberdeen Schoolhouse
While the school board awards a major construction contract, 414 residents rally to force a new election over the building's controversial site.
- The Battle for the Capitol Grounds
A public dispute erupts between the Acting Governor and a Capitol Commissioner over the bidding process for clearing the grounds in Olympia.
- The Snohomish Bond Scheme: How Outsiders Tried to Rig City Finances
When Eastern and California financiers tried to orchestrate a 'little combine' to depress the value of city bonds, Snohomish officials fought back.
- The $17,500 Stare-Down at the Agricultural College
A former treasurer refused to release college funds, a Tacoma contractor claimed the low bid was skipped, and the attorney general said the appeal clock had run out.
- The Printing Contract Scandal
The City Council awards a printing contract to a more expensive paper, sparking claims of hypocrisy against the self-proclaimed 'reform' administration.