Protest Against Award Under Small Business Set-Aside Procurement

The protester, a large business concern, objected to the award of a contract under a 100 percent small business set-aside. The decision to make a total small business set-aside was appropriate since there was no evidence that the contracting officer abused his discretion in determining that there was reasonable expectation of receiving adequate competition at reasonable prices. The fact that a lower priced "courtesy" offer was submitted by a large business concern did not mean that the award to a small business was at an unreasonable price. Although the contracting officer may consider a "courtesy" offer in determining the reasonableness of a small business offer, he was not required to do so.