Protest Alleging Awardee's Bid Price Was Unrealistically Low

A company protested that an agency had not prepared a cost estimate for an advertised service contract, and that the awardee's bid price was unrealistically low. It was held that, other than in construction procurement, there is no requirement that an agency prepare a cost estimate in advertised procurement. Furthermore, a low bidder is not precluded from an award simply because its bid is too low and it may incur a loss on the contract. Accordingly, the protest was denied.