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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 | 6 |
| 1885 | 14 |
| 1886 | 9 |
| 1887 | 9 |
| 1888 | 7 |
| 1889 | 22 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 27 |
| 1892 | 41 |
| 1893 | 42 |
| 1894 | 37 |
| 1895 | 36 |
| 1898 | 3 |
| 1899 | 10 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 14 |
| 1904 | 19 |
| 1905 | 3 |
| 1907 | 2 |
| 1908 | 7 |
| 1909 | 23 |
| 1910 | 2 |
| 1911 | 1 |
| 1912 | 3 |
| 1914 | 5 |
| 1915 | 16 |
| 1916 | 12 |
| 1917 | 11 |
| 1923 | 2 |
| 1924 | 5 |
| 1925 | 2 |
450 stories matching bid
- 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.
- Everett’s Sweetheart Printing Deal: The Supreme Court Said No
In 1894, Everett’s city council awarded its official printing contract to a bid nearly four times higher than a rival’s. The Washington Supreme Court reversed course, warning that public money was not the council’s to give away.
- Council Balks at Nearly $15,000 in Street Bids
Newport's council opened proposals for crosswalks and three street grades, then sent the whole package to committee after the low bids gave them sticker shock.
- Brick by Brick: Seattle Paves Pike Street
Four contractors bid to lay a brick surface from Front to Seventh, with the contract to be let this morning and the work rushed through before the rains — while labor can still be had cheap.
- The Sunday Bond Deal That Split Benton County
Two commissioners secretly arranged a courthouse bond sale, and a courtroom fight over lost premiums exposed how far they went to keep the third commissioner—and the public—in the dark.
- The Granite War: Why Seattle’s Federal Building Might Not Use Washington Stone
A federal contract for San Francisco's new courthouse has sparked outrage in Seattle. The lowest bidder proposed using granite from the Puget Sound region, but California lobbyists are pushing to force the use of local stone, raising questions about patriotism versus free enterprise.
- The Price of a Clerical Error
A contractor’s slip of the pen costs him a major city street grading contract.
- Seattle’s School Board Said No to $153
Contractors crowded the board meeting, but a fight over $4,000 versus $4,153 left a school addition unbuilt—and a Lake Union petition for 107 children pending.
- A Christmas Auction That Fell Short—and a Mother Sent Home
Donations expected to bring $600 fetch only $158.40, but the Bureau of Associated Charities still outfits 100 families and buys a destitute mother a ticket to Kansas City.
- The Bitter Battle for the Port Orchard Dry Dock
A failed bid for a federal contract triggers a nasty public feud between a powerful contractor and a U.S. Senator.
- Richland Bridge Contract Nullified by State Oversight
A procedural shortcut taken by county commissioners to build a bridge has backfired, with the state declaring their contract void for lack of competitive bidding.
- The Smoke-Filled Backroom Deals of 1886
A disgruntled contractor exposes the murky process behind the construction of public works in early Seattle, challenging the city's power brokers.
- City Council Unloads Bonds Under Heavy Scrutiny
North Yakima successfully sells $30,000 in municipal bonds after a previous attempt failed to draw interest, but local observers remain cynical about the deal's profit margins.
- UW Chooses Its Future: Law, Medicine, and a Reprieve for the Old Building
A May 1895 regents' meeting set the University of Washington on a course toward professional schools, rejected confusing heating bids, awarded a $17,570 contract, and moved to keep the old campus building.
- Competition for the Port Orchard Dry Dock
A flurry of bids arrives for the massive Navy project in Port Orchard, testing the influence of Seattle and Tacoma firms.
- 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 Colville Reservation Is Surveyed for White Settlement
A treaty strips the Colville Indian Reservation down to individual allotments, and surveyors are called to run more than 1,000 miles of lines across northeastern Washington.
- The Great City Printing Graft
Seattle’s local newspapers accused the Telegraph of padding city bills, sparking a political firestorm that reached the city council.
- The Eight-Hour Law Scuttles a Navy Yard Bid
A Seattle contractor's low bid for the new Port Orchard dry dock is thrown out by federal officials because of changing labor regulations.
- 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.
- The City Council’s Messy Printing Contract
A fiery session at City Hall erupts over a printing contract, with allegations of cronyism and backroom deals over the city's official records.
- The Courthouse Contract That Took Three Tries
The lowest bid lacked a certified check; the next-lowest contractor balked at its own price; the job finally went to Colville builder Lee Gayman.
- 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 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.
- Battle over Pullman College Construction
A Seattle contractor faces a restraining order following allegations of fraud in the awarding of a state building bid.
Also about this, in other words
- Bidding on the Destitute: Seattle’s 1877 Poverty Contracts
Before modern social safety nets, King County put the care of its 'indigent poor' up for competitive bid, seeking the lowest price for housing and medical services.
- 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.
- Tacoma Bets $300,000 of Its Own Credit on a Municipal Power Plant
With the engineer due Monday for the Nisqually plant, the sinking fund commission puts the bonds on the market — and invites anyone, including the state school fund, to bid.
- The Bidding War for Public Office
A candidate for County Clerk promises to slash the department's budget, sparking a debate over the ethics of 'auctioning' government services.
- Local Labor Beats the Low Bid on the Kennewick-Finley Road
County commissioners chose Kennewick’s Wm. Morain over the lowest bidder because he promised local crews and teams instead of trucks.
- The Struggle Over the Port Orchard Dry Dock
The federal government hesitates to award a massive contract for a key Navy project, citing doubts about the contractor's ability to deliver.
- 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.
- The High-Stakes Wager on Walla Walla's Marshal Race
Election fever reaches a fever pitch as local bettors drop thousands on a tight race for police chief.