Protest of Bid Being Determined Nonresponsive

A company protested the award of a contract to the second low bidder because the company's bid was rejected as nonresponsive. The company's low bid was rejected because it failed to include the bid guarantee required by the solicitation and failed to acknowledge receipt of an addendum specifying additional space to be cleaned. Even if the company's contention that it complied with the guarantee requirement was accepted, its bid was properly rejected as nonresponsive. A bid which fails to acknowledge an addendum having significant effect on price cannot be waived as a minor informality or irregularity, and thus, must be rejected as nonresponsive. The protest was denied.