[Protest of Proposed Secret Service Contract Award]

A firm protested the award of a contract by the Secret Service for uniform shirts, contending that the awardee was nonresponsive because a certification accompanying a fabric sample was submitted by a firm other than the manufacturer of the fabric and because it responded inaccurately to a contingent fee clause in the solicitation. The awardee established that the manufacturer was a wholly owned subsidiary of the firm submitting the certification, and the Secret Service determined that the certification submitted was proper. GAO held that the issue concerning the certification was one of bidder responsibility rather than bidder responsiveness and that it was permissible for the agency to seek clarification of a matter of responsibility after bid opening. Concerning the allegation that the awardee submitted inaccurate bid information, the Service determined that the information was accurate, and the protester did not meet the burden of proof necessary to support its contention. Accordingly, the protest was denied.