Protest Regarding Procurement Procedures

A protester against the award of any contract contended that, once it was informed that its proposal was low, no further discussions should have ensued. Since the protester proceeded with negotiations after being improperly told that its proposal was low without raising the matter until it did not receive the award, it cannot later complain about a course of action in which it participated. The decision of whether to award a contract on the basis of initial proposals was discretionary with the procuring activity. The contention, filed after award, that the procurement should have been formally advertised was untimely and not for consideration on its merits.