Protest Against Bidder Responsiveness, Nonresponsibility, and Procurement Procedures

A company protested award of a contract on the following bases: bidder nonresponsiveness, no demonstration of intended method of waste disposal, unreasonably low bid indicating nonresponsibility, and procurement procedures. The awardee's failure to submit certification with its bid involved responsibility or ability to perform, not responsiveness, and GAO does not consider questions of bidder responsibility. The intended method of waste disposal also concerned the awardee's responsibility. The agency's determination to advertise formally rather than to negotiate the contract was proper since the agency has discretion to determine which method of procurement best fulfills its requirements.