Contracting Officer Is Required Under FPR To Refer All Matters of Responsibility to Appropriate SBA Official for Consideration

The bid of a small business firm was rejected on the basis that the firm was not a responsible contractor, and the contracting officer was of the opinion that the certificate of competency (COC) procedure did not apply where the proposed award was for less than $10,000. Regardless of the amount of the procurement, however, current Federal Procurement Regulations require the contracting officer to refer all questions of a small business firm's responsibility to the Small Business Administration for a final disposition under the COC procedure. Therefore, the bid was improperly rejected.