[Protest of VA Determination To Permit Bid Correction]

A firm protested a Veterans Administration (VA) determination to permit another firm to correct its bid under a solicitation for cleaning and brickwork repair. The protester contended that the evidence was not sufficient to permit the firm to correct the bid. Procurement regulations provide that an asserted bid mistake which is alleged prior to award may be corrected where clear and convincing evidence exists that a mistake was made. However, the bidder's worksheets revealed significant and substantially unexplained discrepancies and uncertainties. In addition, GAO questioned the accuracy of the intended bid, because the bidder's worksheets did not have the customary entries for profit or overhead. GAO concluded that VA did not have a reasonable basis to permit bid correction. GAO determined that the bid in question may be withdrawn, since the record clearly indicated a mistake, although the mistake did not meet the criteria to permit correction. Accordingly, the protest was sustained.