Complaint Alleging Grantee's Solicitation Is Unduly Restrictive of Competition

A firm complained against an award under a request for proposals (RFP) issued by the State of Alaska pursuant to a grant administered by the Department of Agriculture. The complainant asserted that certain provisions of the RFP were unduly restrictive of competition. It also contended that the solicitation was defective because it contained no small business preference and did not require that award be made to the low offeror. GAO does not review complaints regarding procurements by Federal grantees which are not filed within a reasonable time. In order to be considered filed within a reasonable time, a complaint such as this, based on improprieties apparent on the face of a grantee solicitation, must be filed prior to the time set for receipt of proposals. Since the complainant indicated that the award selection had already been made, it was apparent that its complaint was untimely. Accordingly, the complaint was dismissed.