Responsibility of Applicant for Establishing Competency

Shiffer Industrial Equipment, Inc. protested the determination that it is not responsible for the award to procure a conveyor system at the Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Florida. Shiffer also protested the resulting refusal by the Small Business Administration (SBA) to issue a certificate of competency (COC). The Navy's submission of information to SBA concerning Shiffer's performance on other contract work was judged adequate to the decision process regarding the certificate. Moreover, the burden of proof for establishing competency is on the applicant. The protest was denied. (SW)