[Protests of Proposed Forest Service Award of Timber Sale]

Two firms protested a Forest Service contract award under a small business set-aside timber sale. The first protester contended that the Forest Service: (1) improperly allowed the awardee to correct its defective bid; and (2) should have allowed large businesses to participate, since the two small business bids were nonresponsive. The second protester contended that the Forest Service should have awarded it the contract, since the awardee failed to properly complete a required certification. GAO held that the Forest Service properly allowed the awardee to complete the certification, since the awardee signed the form, and included the required notation on the form prior to bid opening. Accordingly, the protests were denied in part and dismissed in part.