[Protest of USDA Exclusion of Bid for Survey From Competitive Range]

A firm protested the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) exclusion of its bid from the competitive range and contract award to another firm for a survey, contending that: (1) USDA improperly evaluated its qualifications; and (2) the awardee lacked corporate authorization to perform the required work. GAO held that the protester: (1) untimely filed its protest more than 10 days after USDA notified it of its elimination from the competitive range; and (2) was not sufficiently interested to protest the award, since it would not be in line for award even if its protest were sustained. Accordingly, the protest was dismissed.