Wieman-Slechta Co. v. Pascoe Steel Corp.

351 F. Supp. 840, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10734
CourtDistrict Court, D. North Dakota
DecidedDecember 13, 1972
DocketCiv. No. 4710
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 351 F. Supp. 840 (Wieman-Slechta Co. v. Pascoe Steel Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. North Dakota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wieman-Slechta Co. v. Pascoe Steel Corp., 351 F. Supp. 840, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10734 (D.N.D. 1972).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

DAVIES, Senior District Judge.

On April 1, 1970, Morrison-Knudsen Company and Associates (Morrison-Knudsen) entered into a contract with the United States for construction of a Safeguard Ballistic Missile Defense System Facility near Grand Forks, North Dakota. In need of a number of temporary steel buildings to be located at various missile sites, Morrison-Knudsen contacted several steel fabricators, including the defendant, Pascoe Steel Corporation (Pascoe), Columbus, Georgia, seeking bids for the fabrication and erection of the buildings.

Desirous of bidding, but not having a steel erection crew available, Paseoe’s District Sales Manager contacted the plaintiff, Wieman-Slechta Co. (Wieman-Slechta), one of its franchised dealers located in Omaha, Nebraska, to inquire if they would be interested in joining Pascoe in submitting a bid. Wieman-Slechta initially declined, but later agreed to meet with Pascoe in Grand Forks to confer with representatives of Morrison-Knudsen concerning a possible bid.

Present at the first meeting on Thursday evening, April 9, 1970,1 were John McCarthy, Pascoe’s Regional Sales Manager; William Wieman and Everett Slechta of Wieman-Slechta; and Larry Swanson, one of Morrison-Knudsen’s General Superintendents. Discussed during this and subsequent meetings held the next day were the general requirements and specifications for the steel buildings, the number needed, a tentative completion date for the second or third week of June, 1970, the potential labor market for steelworkers, availability of Morrison-Knudsen equipment to be used by Wieman-Slechta, and the method to be utilized by Pascoe in shipping component parts of the buildings.

On Friday, April 10th, Mr. Wieman and Mr. Slechta spent most of their [842]*842time assembling prices for labor and materials needed, while Mr. McCarthy contacted his home office as to the availability of the buildings, their cost and delivery dates. The three conferred at various times concerning the proposed bid, delivery dates and the time needed for completion if their bid was accepted by Morrison-Knudsen. Mr. Wieman and Mr. Slechta were concerned that if the buildings were not completed by the time Morrison-Knudsen commenced hiring steelworkers, a labor shortage would develop and excessive costs incurred. Also discussed were the load restrictions imposed by the North Dakota Highway Department when roads in the area began to thaw. Mr. McCarthy assured them that the buildings would be available and that their component parts would be delivered in time to be erected by the completion date set by Morrison-Knudsen.

Friday evening Mr. Wieman, Mr. Slechta and Mr. McCarthy again met with representatives of Morrison-Knudsen to submit a joint bid in the name of Wieman-Slechta covering the supplying and erection of the buildings. Just prior to submitting the bid Mr. Wieman again inquired of Mr. McCarthy whether the delivery of the steel buildings could be assured for six weeks prior to whatever completion date was set by Morrison-Knudsen and he was again told that the buildings could be delivered whenever needed since they were mainly standard and readily available. Mr. McCarthy then submitted the bid to the Morrison-Knudsen representatives who rejected it as being $2,000 higher than that of several other steel fabricators. The matter was discussed and, while Morrison-Knudsen preferred the Pascoe buildings, the total cost for the buildings and their erection could not exceed that of the other bidders. It was then determined that if Pascoe were to sell the buildings direct to Morrison-Knudsen on a cash basis, a discount of one-half of one per cent — 10 days- — net 30 days — could be allowed. This would reduce Wieman-Slechta’s bonding costs and bring the overall cost to Morrison-Knudsen in line with the other bids submitted. This arrangement was acceptable.

Final completion date was set for June 15, 1970, a requirement that Morrison-Knudsen insisted be met since that date would also be their start-up date and the buildings would be needed. Mr. McCarthy assured all concerned that the component parts of the buildings to be erected first would be on the sites the first week of May. Wieman-Slechta was promised the use of Morrison-Knudsen cranes and other equipment at no cost until needed by Morrison-Knudsen about June 15th. It was then agreed that the component parts of the buildings were to be shipped via trailers on railroad flat cars (TOFC). The meeting concluded with the understanding that Pascoe would furnish the component parts for 14 buildings pursuant to a Morrison-Knudsen purchase order and that a separate contract would be prepared covering Wieman-Slechta’s providing concrete foundations and slabs for the buildings and their erection. Before leaving Grand Forks Mr. Wieman, Mr. Slechta and Mr. McCarthy again discussed difficulties that would arise if the component parts of the buildings did not arrive at the sites on time and Mr. McCarthy again promised that the component parts would begin arriving the first week of May. '

Mr. Slechta returned to Grand Forks the following Monday and entered into a contract with Morrison-Knudsen, April 14th, on behalf of Wieman-Slechta. This contract provided, in part, that:

“1. Contractor will be Owner’s agent for and will be charged with the total responsibility for ordering and assuring delivery of all materials required hereunder and in that connection Contractor acknowledges Owner’s purchase order with Pascoe Steel Corporation for buildings and will closely coordinate its efforts with the shipping schedule of Pascoe Steel Corporation and the schedule of the Owner’s original contract [843]*843realizing that time is of the essence of the original contract and of this contract.
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“7. All buildings covered hereunder are to be completed and accepted by the Owner not later than June 15 1970, and Contractor agrees to make every effort to complete all of the said buildings in advance of such date.”

Wieman-Slechta began preparing and pouring the concrete foundations about the 27th of April and the first four foundations were ready on or about May 4th for erection of the first buildings with all 14 foundations and slabs being completed by the end of May.

Upon Mr. McCarthy’s return to Columbus, Georgia, he submitted a memo to the Pascoe Distribution Division, dated April 20, 1970, concerning the sale of the buildings to Morrison-Knudsen which contained, as far as pertinent, the following:

“During the negotiations for these buildings, several items were discussed that I believe we all should be aware of to avoid any difficulties as the project progresses.
“1. Buildings were sold directly to Morrison and Knudsen to be delivered rail freight.
“2. Terms quoted are % of 1% 10 days, net 30 on receipt of material.
“3. (2) warehouse buildings and (2) Carpenter shops are the first buildings to be shipped. Each building should be marked for identification by color code or some other method that they can be easily separated at time of unloading to get to the proper jobsite.
“4.

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Related

Wieman Slechta Co. v. Pascoe Steel
489 F.2d 760 (Eighth Circuit, 1973)

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Bluebook (online)
351 F. Supp. 840, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10734, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wieman-slechta-co-v-pascoe-steel-corp-ndd-1972.