Protest Against Determination That Bidder Was Nonresponsible

The protester objected to a determination by the agency that it was not a responsible prospective contractor based on the facts in a pending debarment action for violations of the Service Contract Act. The determination by the contracting officer that the low bidder was nonresponsible for lack of integrity was justified. In making the determination, the contracting officer was fulfilling the requirements of the Federal Procurement Regulations which require an affirmative determination as to the responsibility of the prospective contractor and was not imposing an additional penalty on the bidder beyond that imposed by the Service Contract Act.