[Protest of GSA Solicitation for Building Repairs and Alterations Services]

A firm protested a General Services Administration (GSA) solicitation for repairs and alterations to government buildings, contending that, with the exception of potential mark-up rates, GSA improperly failed to evaluate the price or the cost of the solicitation to the government. GAO held that GSA's consideration of the mark-up rate alone, without taking into account potential differences in bidders' labor rates, number of hours, mix of labor categories, and material costs, represented inadequate consideration of a proposal's cost to the government. Accordingly, the protest was sustained, and GAO recommended that GSA: (1) amend the solicitation to require submission of information sufficient to consider the total costs to the government; and (2) reimburse the protester for its protest cost.