Summary

A firm protested a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) contractor's subcontract award for security guard services, contending that the prime contractor should have awarded it the contract, since it was the low, responsive bidder. GAO held that: (1) the prime contractor did not act as a middleman for the government in the procurement; (2) HUD was not involved in the development of the solicitation requirements, award criteria, or the evaluation of the bids; and (3) it did not have jurisdiction to review the award, since subcontractor selection was not by or for the government. Accordingly, the protest was dismissed.