Protest That Timing of Solicitation Amendment Resulted in Late Bid

The protester objected to the rejection of their bid as late, contending that their late hand-carried bid should be considered because receipt of a solicitation modification 4 days prior to the new bid opening date prevented them from mailing their bid 5 days prior to bid opening. The bid was properly rejected as late, however, because the paramount cause of lateness was not the Government's action but rather the commercial carrier's failure to hand deliver the bid within the time agreed upon with the bidder.