[Protest of VA Nonresponsibility Determination and SBA Refusal To Issue COC]

A firm protested a Veterans Administration (VA) contracting officer's nonresponsibility determination and the refusal of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to issue it a Certificate of Competency in connection with an invitation for bids. The protester contended that SBA based its decision on inaccurate information supplied by the VA. SBA has statutory authority to review a contracting officer's determination of nonresponsibility and to determine conclusively a small business concern's responsibility. GAO will not review such determinations absent a showing of fraud or willful disregard of the facts. Since the protester failed to make such a showing, the protest was dismissed.