Summary

A firm protested the Army's cancellation of its solicitation for credit reports, contending that the Army lacked a compelling reason to cancel. The solicitation was canceled after bid opening when the contracting officer discovered that the Army was required to purchase the items on a Federal Supply Schedule. The Army stated that Federal procurement regulations prohibited it from competitively procuring the items. GAO held that the Army reasonably found that the items were covered by the schedule, and its action to cancel the competitive procurement was proper. Further, although the Army submitted its position on the protest to GAO more than 3 months after the action, the protester was not prejudiced by the report's lateness. Accordingly, the protest was denied.