[Protest of Contractor Selection Under GSA A-E Procurement]

A firm protested a General Services Administration (GSA) contract award to another firm for architect-engineer services, contending that GSA: (1) improperly reopened the selection process after initially choosing it as the most qualified firm; and (2) failed to conduct the reevaluation consistent with the published selection criteria, thereby denying it a fair and equitable opportunity to compete; (3) failed to comply with its own regulations, since the evaluation board was not informed of the need to consider a bidder's ability to complete the work in the required time or advised to hold discussions regarding alternative methods of furnishing the services. GAO held that GSA: (1) properly reopened the selection process; (2) adhered to the evaluation criteria during the second selection process since it was authorized to consider factors not expressly set forth in the original announcement; and (3) considered the necessary factors in ranking the firms. Accordingly, the protest was denied.