CO Not Required to Wait Longer than 15 Days for COC, Especially Given Tight End of FY Deadlines for Awards; GAO B-416918, James F. Thomson Jr., DBA American Southwest Electric

Protest that the contracting officer improperly failed to withhold award for 15 business days following the referral of a nonresponsibility determination to the Small Business Administration under its certificate of competency procedure is denied, where SBA did not respond to the CO with a decision within the 15-business day deadline and the CO was not obligated to extend this deadline.