[Protest of GSA Rejection of Late Proposal]

A firm protested the rejection of its proposal by the General Services Administration (GSA), requesting a waiver of the late proposal rules on the grounds that it should not be penalized for delays caused by a private delivery firm. The protester had sent the proposal via the delivery firm's guaranteed next-day delivery service, but the proposal was delivered to the wrong place and GSA did not receive it until 2 days after proposals were due. The solicitation contained the standard late proposal clause, which permits consideration of late proposals sent by certified mail or if it is determined that the late receipt was due solely to Government mishandling. Since neither of these circumstances were present, GAO found that GSA properly rejected the proposal as late. Accordingly, the protest was summarily denied.