Protest Against Rejection of Bid as Late

The protester objected to the agency's rejection of its bid as late, contending that the invitation did not make the bid opening time clear. The contracting officer acted unreasonably and in contravention of procurement regulations in failing to notify firms on the bidder's list of the correct bid opening time. However, the late bidder acted unreasonably in not inquiring of the agency regarding the patent discrepancy in the designated time. The protest regarding the failure of the solicitation to clearly specify the bid opening time was untimely. The late bid was not for consideration for award, despite the substantial contribution to bid lateness of the defective invitation and the Government's improper actions, since the bidder caused its own lateness by unreasonably interpreting the defective time specification.