[Protest Against Army Cancellation of Solicitation for Construction of Child Care Center]
Highlights
A firm protested the Army Corps of Engineers' cancellation of a construction contract for a child care center and subsequent resolicitation, contending that the Army: (1) improperly cancelled the procurement after bid opening; (2) improperly rejected its bid based on price, since the Army's cost estimate under the original solicitation was inaccurate; and (3) understated its needs in the resolicitation. GAO held that the: (1) Army properly cancelled the procurement, since the proposed bids were much higher than the Army's estimated price; (2) Army's cost estimation error was minor and did not affect its decision to cancel the solicitation; and (3) protester untimely protested an alleged solicitation defect after bid opening. Accordingly, the protest was denied in part and dismissed in part.