Protest Alleging Evaluation Criteria Were Not Properly Applied

A firm protested the award of a contract for architectural and engineering services (A/E), alleging that the evaluation criteria were not properly applied. GAO limited its review to examining whether the selection procedure of an A/E contractor was reasonable. GAO found that the conduct of the procurement complied with legislative requirements in that a public notice appeared in the Commerce Business Daily in an announcement specifying the evaluation criteria. After careful examination of the agency's evaluation GAO found support for the evaluators' conclusions in each instance, and found that the agency's evaluation was consistent with the published criteria in accord with the policy expressed in legislation. There was no basis upon which to question either the agency's evaluation of the protester or the propriety of the award to another firm; therefore, the protest was denied.