[Protest of Interior Contract Award for Architect-Engineer Services]

A firm protested a Bureau of Reclamation contract award for architect-engineer services, contending that the Bureau: (1) improperly evaluated the bids; (2) favored current and previous contractors and did not attempt to distribute work equitably among small, minority business concerns; and (3) should have rejected the awardee because he did not submit a required standard form that detailed his qualifications. GAO determined that: (1) the contention that the evaluation was improper because the Bureau did not list past performance as an evaluation criterion was without merit since an applicable statute required agencies to consider past performance in selecting architect-engineers; (2) there were no applicable regulations requiring the distribution of contracts among small and minority business firms; and (3) there was no requirement for the awardee to submit a qualifications form. Accordingly, the protest was denied.