Protest Alleging Proposed Awardee Is Not Responsible

A firm protested a proposed contract award, alleging that the awardee was not responsible, that the contracting agency orally amended the solicitation for the awardee's benefit, and that its prices were not arrived at independently. GAO does not review affirmative determinations of responsibility unless there is a showing of fraud or allegation of failure to meet definitive responsibility criteria; nor does GAO conduct independent investigations to establish validity of a protester's speculative statements. As there was no factual basis in the record to support the protester's allegation that the low offeror's price was not independently determined, the protest on this ground was denied. Accordingly, the protest was dismissed in part and denied in part.