125.27—How will SBA process an SDVO protest?
(a) Notice of receipt of protest.
Upon receipt of the protest, SBA will notify the contracting officer and the protester of the date SBA received the protest and whether SBA will process the protest or dismiss it under paragraph (b) of this section.
(b) Dismissal of protest.
If SBA determines that the protest is premature, untimely, nonspecific, or is based on non-protestable allegations, SBA will dismiss the protest and will send the contracting officer and the protester a notice of dismissal, citing the reason(s) for the dismissal. The dismissal notice must also advise the protester of his/her right to appeal the dismissal to SBA's Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA) in accordance with part 134 of this chapter.
(c) Notice to protested concern.
If SBA determines that the protest is timely, sufficiently specific and is based upon protestable allegations, SBA will:
(1)
Notify the protested concern of the protest and of its right to submit information responding to the protest within ten business days from the date of the notice; and
(2)
Forward a copy of the protest to the protested concern, with a copy to the contracting officer if one has not already been made available.
(d) Time period for determination.
SBA will determine the SDVO SBC status of the protested concern within 15 business days after receipt of the protest, or within any extension of that time which the contracting officer may grant SBA. If SBA does not issue its determination within the 15-day period, the contracting officer may award the contract, unless the contracting officer has granted SBA an extension.
(e) Award of contract.
The CO may award the contract after receipt of a protest if the contracting officer determines in writing that an award must be made to protect the public interest.
(f) Notification of determination.
SBA will notify the contracting officer, the protester, and the protested concern in writing of its determination.
(g) Effect of determination.
SBA's determination is effective immediately and is final unless overturned by OHA on appeal. If SBA sustains the protest, and the contract has not yet been awarded, then the protested concern is ineligible for an SDVO SBC contract award. If a contract has already been awarded, and SBA sustains the protest, then the contracting officer cannot count the award as an award to an SDVO SBC and the concern cannot submit another offer as an SDVO SBC on a future SDVO SBC procurement unless it overcomes the reasons for the protest (e.g., it changes its ownership to satisfy the definition of an SDVO SBC set forth in § 125.8 ).