[Protest Against Cancellation of GSA Solicitation]

A firm protested the failure of the General Services Administration (GSA) to award it a contract under a small business set-aside, contending that: (1) it was entitled to the award as low bidder; (2) the request for proposals (RFP) was improperly cancelled without notification; and (3) it was prevented from competing under a second RFP because it was not notified of the RFP. GSA reported that: (1) it cancelled the first RFP because the prices received were unreasonable; and (2) the protester failed to respond to the synopsis of the second RFP which was published in the Commerce Business Daily (CBD). GAO will not question a determination to cancel a solicitation absent a showing that it was unreasonable or that fraud or bad faith were involved. GAO found that the protester failed to make such a showing. The failure to notify a bidder of a cancellation is a procedural deviation that does not affect the validity of a cancellation. Furthermore, GAO found that the protester failed to meet its burden of proving that it was prevented from competing under the second RFP, since the second RFP was timely published in the CBD and adequate competition was obtained. Accordingly, the protest was denied.