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In this respect, if it were to make a new award decision when convenient and delay performance until the fire season, then the agency would be obligating itself to procure 33 aircraft for day periods for the fire season. We recognize that the contractors would prefer this compromise; however, the agency understandably asserts that this is a "materially different bargain that the Agency does not wish to undertake. We see nothing improper with the agency's explanation in this regard. In addition, as the agency notes, it was under no obligation to exercise the options or issue any orders above the mandatory minimum.
The fact that the contracts, with all options exercised, would have covered a 5-year period does not demonstrate that the cancellation was not justified. Lastly, to be clear, nothing in the record supports Evergreen's assertion that the cancellation was a pretext to avoid awarding the firm a contract.
On the contrary, the contracting officer notes that Evergreen is considered a "capable, qualified contractor" and that the agency "would have been happy to make award to Evergreen if such an award were deemed to be in the government's best interests.
The contracting officer further explains that the agency has worked with Evergreen for "many years" and DOI anticipates that Evergreen will receive orders under its on-call contract this summer. Absent anything in the record to support Evergreen's charge, and given that government officials are presumed to act in good faith, we find that the allegation of animus or bias is unsupported and, thus, unmeritorious. See Inalab Consulting, Inc. In sum, the record confirms that the agency's decision to cancel the solicitation was prompted by Evergreen's supplemental protest.
Nevertheless, in light of the time-sensitive nature of the required fire suppression support services, the RFP's restrictive minimum guarantee that would prove difficult for DOI to meet if it were to conduct a reevaluation of proposals , and the fact that another contract vehicle was available for the agency to acquire SEAT aircraft for the fire season, we find that the cancellation was reasonable based on the justifications advanced by the agency.
Henry's Aerial Service, Inc. In a negotiated procurement, such as this one, a contracting agency has broad discretion in deciding whether to cancel a solicitation. Moreover, an agency may cancel a solicitation regardless of when the information precipitating the cancellation first arises. This is so, even when the cancellation occurs during the pendency of a protest.
Where, as here, a protester argues that the agency's rationale for cancellation is but a pretext--that is, that the agency's actual motivation is to avoid awarding a contract on a competitive basis or to avoid resolving a protest--we will examine the reasonableness of the agency's actions in canceling the procurement. Nevertheless, the reasonableness standard applicable to cancellation of a solicitation remains unchanged.
The DoS explains that, as a result of Tien Walker's earlier protest to our Office, the agency was required to stay contract award and performance, in accordance with applicable procurement regulations.
Consequently, even if Tien Walker's earlier protest had been denied, the contractor would not be able to complete the first survey wave prior to Ramadan. As the contracting officer further explains,. Winter weather conditions make face-to-face fieldwork more challenging from late October and onward.
The Government typically conducts each [survey] wave six months [sic] apart. If we were to conduct the waves to [sic] close together, it is unlikely that the publics' [sic] attitudes have changed dramatically in such a short span with the exception of any major events. We find that DOS's rationale for cancelling the solicitation was not a pretext to avoid awarding a contract on a competitive basis or to avoid resolving a protest, as Tien Walker surmises.
Rather, the record reflects that Tien Walker's earlier protest--and the attendant stay of contract award and performance--caused the agency's requirements to change.
Consequently, the contractor would not be able to complete the first wave of fieldwork prior to Ramadan, and two waves of fieldwork, properly spaced apart, prior to the Afghan winter season. In sum, as the agency's public opinion survey requirements could not be achieved in the necessary timeframe, and had therefore changed, the agency had a reasonable basis to cancel its solicitation. Tien Walker contends that the agency cannot argue that the time has passed to satisfy the requirement thereby justifying cancellation , but simultaneously also claim a need to resolicit for the same requirement.
In Walker Development, we found the agency failed to produce a report that coherently addressed the agency's rationale for the cancellation of the solicitation, and therefore concluded that the record did not establish that the agency had a reasonable basis for its solicitation cancellation. We find Tien Walker's reliance on our Walker Development decision to be misplaced, as the facts in the current protest are inapposite to those in the cited decision.
Here, there is nothing inconsistent or conflicting about the agency's rationale for the cancellation of the solicitation. As detailed above, DoS reasonably determined that its needs for a current Afghan public opinion survey could not be achieved in the necessary timeframe and had therefore changed.
The agency also simultaneously decided to conduct market research to guide its future procurements for such services. No contract will be awarded from this announcement. This request for capability information does not constitute a request for proposals. Likewise, the agency's decision to plan for possible future Afghan public opinion survey requirements does not alter the fact that the present Afghan public opinion survey requirement had changed.
There is simply no requirement, as the protester suggests, that the agency amend a solicitation that no longer reflects its requirements, only so as to leave it open indefinitely for possible future needs. Our Office requested that the agency respond to the comments. With the May 1 letter, the agency provided what it asserted was the version of these documents that existed at the time of the source selection decisions.
On May 25, we issued a Hearing Notice that stated, among other things: GAO will conduct a hearing in connection with the above-referenced protests; that hearing will begin at 9: On May 26, the agency advised our Office that it intended to take corrective action by terminating all of the contract awards and cancelling the procurement.
In its notice of corrective action, the agency discussed its post-award alterations of the record, and the impact of those actions on the integrity of the procurement, as follows: DHS has previously acknowledged that documents had been created after award, specifically additional price realism memoranda and a memorandum detailing the methodology it used to evaluate price realism, and changed documents after award, specifically the Technical Evaluation Report TER and BVTA.
Given the additions and the changes to documents after award, which DHS had previously submitted to [the] Government Accountability Office GAO as representative of the record at the time of award. Agency Motion to Dismiss, May 27, , at DHS has determined that the evaluation criteria and adjectival ratings did not permit evaluators to reasonably evaluate the offerors and assign appropriate ratings based upon the evaluation criteria.
This is partially due to the adjectival ratings that were used, but also due to the evaluation process used to evaluate and assess offerors during the technical challenge exercises.
The methodology by which the price evaluation team evaluated price realism is not identified in the PER. Nor is it evident in the PER itself what DHS reviewed and evaluated to determine whether prices were reasonable and realistic.
The inclusion of these additional required services would require a significant change to what information offerors would be required to provide and how DHS would evaluate offerors. A reasonable basis to cancel a solicitation exists when, for example, an agency determines that the solicitation does not accurately reflect its needs.
Accordingly, the protests are dismissed. The protester recognizes that, in a negotiated procurement, an agency may cancel an existing solicitation where it has a reasonable basis for doing so, see, e. There is no additional explanation regarding the reasonableness of the cancellation. Rather, as stated above, the agency submitted undated statements from its contract specialist that provided conflicting rationales for the cancellation. Our Office afforded the agency numerous opportunities to provide its rationale for the cancellation, of which the agency failed to avail itself.
In the absence of an adequate agency record to support its actions, and in the absence of any reasonable explanation for its actions, we are left with no option but to make an adverse inference in this matter. See Superlative Technologies, Inc. We therefore conclude that the record here does not establish that the agency had a reasonable basis for the cancellation of the solicitation and sustain the protest.
Regarding the alleged award of a contract to Railroad Cleaners, it appears that the agency was using FAR clause Test Systems Associates, Inc.
In this regard, the agency never addressed our concern that the solicitation number for the cancelled solicitation, and the solicitation number for the contract awarded to Railroad Cleaners, were identical. To date, the agency has provided no information regarding the contract with Railroad Cleaners, leaving the record unclear about what the agency did, or why. Therefore, we also sustain this basis of protest. We sustain this protest because the record fails to demonstrate that the agency had a reasonable basis for cancelling the solicitation or for extending the period of performance for the contract of Railroad Cleaners.
We also recommend that Walker be reimbursed the reasonable costs of filing and pursuing the protest. A reasonable basis to cancel exists when, for example, an agency determines that a solicitation has been drafted without sufficiently detailed evaluation criteria to permit a fair and equal evaluation of all quotations.
Notwithstanding such closer scrutiny, however, and even if it can be shown that personal animus or pretext may have supplied at least part of the motivation to cancel the procurement, the reasonableness standard applicable to the cancellation of a solicitation remains unchanged. Memorandum of Law MOL at 7.
Medfinity asserts that this establishes that the agency has no intention of resoliciting the requirement. In light of this, HHS was not able to use the existing RFQ to evaluate vendors in a fair or equal manner in order to meet its needs. Accordingly, we cannot conclude that the decision to cancel the solicitation was unreasonable or was made on the basis of pretext. Inalab also alleges that the cancellation is unreasonable because DOI has failed to demonstrate that in-house performance would result in cost savings and efficiencies as compared with award under the solicitation.
As a general rule, our Office does not review agency decisions to cancel procurements and instead perform the work in-house, since such decisions are a matter of executive branch policy. Here, the agency states that, during the pendency of the protest, it determined that it could perform the requirement with government employees.
In this respect, the agency explained that: On or around May 18, ,[6] FMD learned that consulting-type services from Oracle are available under previously-purchased [. Through these available services, Oracle will provide advice regarding the best use and configuration of the licensed software within the FMD environment at no additional cost.
Once the in-house expertise and existing support from Oracle was discovered, FMD began exploring the potential benefits to performing the required need exclusively with in-house resources. On or about May 23, , the Agency preliminarily determined that existing resources could, in fact, be leveraged by utilizing the aforementioned GS level employee full time, an existing GS level employee full time, an existing GS level employee part time and an existing GS level employee as needed.
Leveraging the services available under the previously purchased Oracle licenses also allows FMD to eliminate some degree of waste by fully utilizing an existing resource that has already been paid for. The record shows that, in response to the protest, the agency began an internal inquiry for an alternate method of accomplishing the work. A contracting agency need only establish a reasonable basis to support a decision to cancel an RFQ.
A reasonable basis to cancel exists when, for example, an agency determines that a solicitation does not accurately reflect its needs. In any event, to the extent the protester argues that the newly-discovered in-house capability constitutes a new basis for cancelling the solicitation that was not identified until after the solicitation had been cancelled, our Office has held that a new or additional rationale justifying the cancellation of a solicitation provided by an agency during the development of a protest is acceptable so long as it would have supported cancellation had it been advanced originally.
In this regard, an agency may properly cancel a solicitation no matter when the information supporting the cancellation first surfaces or should have been known, even if the solicitation is not cancelled until after proposals have been submitted and evaluated, or even if discovered during the course of a protest.
Government officials are presumed to act in good faith and, where a protester contends that contracting officials are motivated by bad faith, it must provide convincing proof; our Office will not attribute unfair or prejudicial motives to procurement officials on the basis of inference and supposition. Although the agency did not discover its in-house capabilities until after the procurement was protested, the record does not provide convincing proof that that the agency acted in bad faith.
See Mastery Learning Sys. In a negotiated procurement, such as this one, a contracting agency has broad discretion in deciding whether to cancel a solicitation, and need only establish a reasonable basis for doing so.
An agency properly may cancel a solicitation no matter when the information precipitating the cancellation first arises, even if it is not until offers have been submitted and evaluated.
Notwithstanding such closer scrutiny, however, the reasonableness standard applicable to the cancellation of a solicitation remains unchanged.
The agency argues that its choice of corrective action i. As a general rule, agencies have broad discretion to take corrective action where the agency has determined that such action is necessary to ensure fair and impartial competition.
The details of implementing the corrective action are within the sound discretion and judgment of the contracting agency, and we will not object to any particular corrective action, so long as it is appropriate to remedy the concern that caused the agency to take corrective action. Where an agency discovers that a solicitation is vague or ambiguous as to how the procurement will be conducted, a proper remedy is the cancellation and reissuance of the solicitation.
Further, we have recognized that the possibility that a contract may not have been awarded based on a fair determination of the most advantageous proposal has a more harmful effect on the integrity of the competitive procurement system than does the possibility that the original awardee will be at a disadvantage in a reopened procurement because its price has been exposed. Further, as Sealift was not the original awardee for this procurement and its price was not exposed, Sealift is not at a competitive disadvantage in the reopened procurement.
The agency explains how it determined that the RFP was ambiguous as to the tiered evaluation. In this regard, the agency intended that the tiered evaluation would only be conducted based on the initial proposals. Consequently, the agency did not relook its unrestricted competition decision after receipt of FPRs, even though there existed two or more small business proposals that were technically acceptable, and competitive in terms of price, quality, and delivery.
The solicitation, however, was silent as to when and how the agency would conduct its tiered evaluation of offers. Having found that the procedures set forth in the RFP for making the tiered evaluation decision were ambiguous, the contracting officer determined that the solicitation required correction. In light of the passage of time--the RFP was issued in January 22, , with a closing date of March the contracting officer determined that the appropriate remedy was cancelling and reissuing rather than amending the earlier solicitation.
Under the circumstances, we conclude that the agency reasonably determined that it should cancel the RFP and resolicit after clarifying its tiered evaluation process. The protest is denied. A reasonable basis for cancellation exists and cancellation is appropriate when none of the proposals received were evaluated as technically acceptable. A determination of price reasonableness is a matter of agency discretion, involving the exercise of business judgment, which our Office will not question unless it is shown to be unreasonable.
In determining price reasonableness, an agency may consider a number of factors, including prior contract history and the government estimate. We find the cancellation here was reasonable. As discussed above, none of the proposals received were technically acceptable and therefore all were ineligible for award. We recognize that Precise Management generally disagrees with the evaluation of its proposal under the technical experience subfactor, nonetheless, we need not resolve this issue since the record reflects that the agency also found the proposed prices unreasonable.
According to the agency, many of the contract line items under the incumbent contract had maximum dollar values that were never utilized. For the reasons discussed below, we find no basis to sustain the protest. The standards differ because, in procurements using sealed bids, competitive positions are exposed as a result of the public opening of bids, while in negotiated procurements there is no public opening. See Noelke GmbH, B The record shows that the agency is considering whether the cleaning and janitorial services required under the soliciation should have be procured from an AbilityOne vendor.
Contracting Officer Statement at 1. Additionally, the contracting officer states that the cancellation of the RFQ was reasonable because vendors were mislead by inaccurate information in the solicitation regarding the square footage required to be cleaned by the vendor. Here, we note that the record contains evidence that the integrity of the procurement system would be prejudiced if the RFQ were not cancelled.
Integrity National Corporation B In a negotiated procurement such as this one, the contracting agency has broad discretion in deciding whether to cancel a solicitation and need only have a reasonable basis for doing so. A reasonable basis also exists when an agency determines it needs to revise evaluation standards in order to ensure a fair and equal competition.
In addition, the prospect of increased competition and the lower prices which often result generally provides a reasonable basis for an agency to cancel a solicitation. So long as there is a reasonable basis for doing so, an agency may cancel a solicitation no matter when the information precipitating the cancellation first arises, even if it is not until offers have been submitted and evaluated. Where the record reflects that there was a reasonable basis to cancel the solicitation, we will not find that the agency abused its discretion, even though it could have taken a different course by amending the solicitation.
See AR, Tab E. In this regard, as explained during testimony provided by the contracting officer, the RFP failed to provide for a meaningful evaluation of usability. CO Statement at See Global Solutions Network, Inc. CUI asserts that the cancellation of the RFP was a pretext to avoid making award to it, the only offeror. A procuring agency has broad authority to cancel an RFP and needs only a reasonable basis to do so.
The prospect of increased competition and the lower prices which often result generally provides a reasonable basis for an agency to cancel a solicitation. A reasonable basis to cancel also exists when an agency determines that a solicitation does not accurately reflect its needs. Further, as long as there is a reasonable basis for doing so, an agency may cancel a solicitation no matter when the information precipitating the cancellation first arises, even if it is not until offers have been submitted and evaluated.
Notwithstanding such scrutiny, however, the reasonableness standard applicable to cancellation of a solicitation remains unchanged. In this regard, the contracting officer refers to a teleconference on October 30, after the closing date, in which the contracting officer, contract specialist, and agency program officials participated.
The contemporaneous record indicates that the following points were made during the teleconference: No award can be made based on the results of the solicitation. Phase-in period established on the PWS [Performance Work Statement] would assist new contractor in taking on new consolidated requirement. Inclusion of workload data could assist offerors in contract pricing.
Number of years of experience for the various positions was excessive. As noted, the possibility of increased competition generally provides a reasonable basis for an agency to cancel a solicitation.
Here, the record indicates that the agency concluded that revision of certain solicitation requirements could lead to increased competition. COS at 2; Teleconference Notes, at 2. While the protester asserts that the cancellation was pretextual and was part of a scheme to steer the award of this requirement to a favored vendor, the fact that only a single proposal was received supports the agency concern that the solicitation may have been unduly restrictive of competition.
In these circumstances, we conclude that the protester has not shown that cancellation of the RFP was improper. Contracting officers in negotiated procurements have broad discretion to take corrective action where the agency determines that such action is necessary to ensure a fair and impartial competition.
We generally will not object to the specific corrective action, so long as it is appropriate to remedy the concern that caused the agency to take corrective action. Notwithstanding such scrutiny, and even if it can be shown that pretext may have in part motivated the cancellation of the solicitation, the reasonableness standard applicable to cancellation of a solicitation remains unchanged. Further, if a reasonable basis exists to cancel a solicitation, an agency may cancel the solicitation regardless of when the information first surfaces or should have been known, even if the solicitation is not canceled until after proposals have been submitted and evaluated, or even if discovered during the course of a protest.
These statements are consistent with the contemporaneous intra-agency e-mails discussed above. Thus, it appears from the record that at the time that the contracting officer decided to take corrective action, her sole basis for doing so was her belief that our Office had informed the headquarters attorney through outcome prediction that the protest would be sustained. This belief, however, was not based in fact. Rather, it was based on incorrect information provided by the headquarters attorney.
Nevertheless, for the reasons discussed below, we believe it is not appropriate to sustain this protest. Thus, the record reflects that as part its corrective action, the agency initiated a review into whether there was an error in the procurement--namely, whether the market research underlying the decision to withdraw the set-aside was inaccurate.
Further, as stated above, the contracting officer has not yet made a decision about whether this procurement should be set aside, and the solicitation has not been reissued. Point Blank Enterprises, Inc. Although an invitation for bids may only be cancelled after bid opening for compelling reasons, see FAR National Conference Services, Inc.
In this regard, so long as there is a reasonable basis for doing so, an agency may cancel an RFQ no matter when the information precipitating the cancellation first arises, even if quotations have been submitted and evaluated.
The agency therefore asked one of the manufacturers, Eaton, whether the part was made of materials subject to degradation. Eaton informed DLA that its approved hose assembly contains rubber hose and Nitrile couplings that degrade over time, and that the hose assembly had a shelf life of 32 quarters, or 8 years.
For example, WKF argues that the agency did not consider the shelf-life issue until after it had canceled the solicitation.
We need not consider this issue, since an agency may cancel a solicitation no matter when the information precipitating the cancellation first arises; the issue remains whether agency had a reasonable basis to do so. See Quality Technology, Inc. The Coast Guard also contends that cancellation of the solicitation was proper because the SOW was so confusing that only an incumbent contractor would have been able to understand all of the requirements.
Under FAR subpart 8. Where an agency concludes that cancellation is warranted on the basis of ambiguous or inadequate specifications, our Office will not disturb that determination unless it is shown to be arbitrary, capricious, or not supported by substantial evidence. The record shows that the cancellation of the solicitation occurred under a very unusual set of facts.
Rather, the record indicates that the agency intends to refine the SOW and the solicitation to increase the likelihood that vendors other than the incumbent can prevail in this competition. That is, the record demonstrates that the TET and the CO were unable to agree on an interpretation of the solicitation that would allow the agency to evaluate proposals.
Three times the TET evaluated proposals and selected the incumbent. Strategic Technology Institute, Inc. The protesters assert that the changes made to the solicitation by amendments and are so substantial that the agency must cancel the solicitation and issue a new one to afford all potential offerors, including them, an opportunity to compete for the contract.
As discussed below, we find the agency reasonably decided to amend, rather than cancel and reissue, the solicitation. If, in the judgment of the contracting officer,. Our review of agency decisions about whether an amendment to a solicitation requires cancellation is limited to whether the exercise of agency discretion is reasonable.
See Government Contract Servs. The protesters assert that the changes made to the RFP and PWS by amendments and are so substantial[3] that the agency is required to cancel the solicitation.
The protesters argue that the substantiality of these revisions are demonstrated by the fact that the amendment requires the resubmission of new technical and price volumes, not just changed pages, and replaces the previous PWS in its entirety with a new PWS.
The agency asserts that the changes are minor, and simply highlight or clarify requirements already in the original solicitation. In its response to the protests, the agency provides point by point refutations as to why the changes to the solicitation and PWS are not substantial. Although we do not address each change to the solicitation, we have reviewed all of the arguments raised by the protesters and find no basis to sustain the protest. Prior to the issuance of the amendment, an offeror questioned whether the weights listed in the sample price table were used during the evaluation.
The agency explains that it amended the RFP because it did not intend to use these weights during its evaluation. The agency explains that this change is not substantial because the life cycle cost information was included in the original PWS requirements, and the Agency was required by regulation to consider it during its evaluation.
Next, with regard to the revisions to the PWS, the agency explains that it replaced the original October 25, , PWS in its entirety with the revised PWS in order to avoid confusion by the offerors.
The agency explains that the changes to the PWS either involve clarifying or adding illustrative examples and references about requirements already included in the previous PWS. As for the change in the minimum guaranteed dollar value, the agency explains that this adjustment was based on a change in the anticipated amount of two-story shelters to be delivered under Delivery Order , from shelters to 80 shelters.
The protesters do not explain why any of the changes to the RFP and PWS were substantial, or even how the changes altered the requirement in any way. As discussed above, the FAR requires a contracting officer to consider whether the amendment is so substantial as to exceed what prospective offerors reasonably could have anticipated, so that additional sources likely would have submitted offers had the substance of the amendment been known to them.
As the agency notes, amendments and merely clarify requirements already in the initial solicitation, and the magnitude of the changes are not beyond what reasonably could have been anticipated. While amendment required offerors to submit new technical and price proposals, and involved replacing the previous PWS with a revised PWS, as well as implemented other revisions, the fact of revision, in itself, is not the prerequisite under the regulation which requires cancellation of the solicitation and reprocurement.
Rather, the magnitude of the change in relation to the original RFP governs whether a solicitation should be canceled and reissued. See Alamo Aircraft Supply, Inc. After conducting discussions with vendors, including VSI, the agency requested the submission of final proposal revisions by March 7, In a negotiated procurement, the contracting agency has broad discretion in deciding whether to cancel a solicitation and need only have a reasonable basis for doing so.
If a reasonable basis exists to cancel a solicitation, an agency may cancel the solicitation regardless of when the information first surfaces or should have been known, even if the solicitation is not cancelled until after proposals have been submitted and evaluated. Cancellation of a solicitation is appropriate where an agency finds that its needs are no longer accurately reflected by a request for proposals.
Here, the record indicates that before the agency could issue an award under RFTCP , agency personnel were told to look for ways to reduce costs in light of the budget sequestration, effective March 1, , reducing available funding for the government.
However, since the agency was not yet prepared to perform the services in-house, it issued an interim 4-month task order to BAH to perform the services while they were being transitioned. In sum, the record indicates that budget constraints led the agency to determine that a different, less costly approach to providing the required EITC support services was necessary. In this regard, a contracting agency has the right to cancel a solicitation when sufficient funds are not available.
Specialized Steel Contractors, Inc. Vinculum argues that the agency did not have to cancel RFTCP based on budgetary reasons because it could have used the money that is funding the 4-month task order issued to BAH to fund a task order issued under RFTCP for the remainder of the fiscal year. RFTCP , however, provided for issuance of a task order with a 1-year base period and 4 option years.
Thus, it would have been improper for the agency to issue a task order under RFTCP with the intent of limiting performance to the end of the fiscal year, a period of just more than 5 months. Specifically, an agency may not award a contract or task order with the intent to materially alter it after award. In a negotiated procurement, such as the one here, a contracting agency has broad discretion in deciding whether to cancel a solicitation and need only establish a reasonable basis for doing so.
As discussed above, the solicitation contemplated a lease for office space of 3, to 3, usable square feet. As also discussed above, after the solicitation was issued, FPD reduced its space requirement to 2, usable square feet. Where space requirements decrease from those specified in an SFO, cancellation rather than award for the original amount of square footage under the SFO generally is appropriate.
Comments on Agency Report at , ; Comments on Supp. The record shows that FPD decided to reduce its space requirement to 2, usable square feet, which, as discussed above, is significantly less than the 3, to 3, range of usable square feet listed in the solicitation. The contemporaneous record does not include details of the precise reasons for the reduction in space.
However, the contracting officer states that on or about July 25, , an FPD representative informed her via telephone that the reduction was due to budgetary constraints. The record supports this insofar as it shows that a conference call between the contracting officer and FPD representatives was scheduled for July 24, and that on July 25 the contracting officer sent an e-mail to an FPD representative requesting confirmation of the 2, usable square foot requirement.
The record also shows that after an FPD-internal e-mail exchange, the FPD representative sent an e-mail to the contracting officer on August 2 confirming the 2, usable square foot requirement. Finally, after this protest was filed, FPD submitted to GSA a standard request-for-space worksheet that listed its space requirement as 2, usable square feet.
The Coffelts also argue that GSA canceled the solicitation to avoid contracting with them. Comments on Agency Report at ; Comments on Supp.
Contracting Officer Statement at Comments on Agency Report at 18; Comments on Supp. Contracting Officer Statement at , 6. Where a reasonable basis exists to cancel a solicitation, an agency properly may cancel a solicitation no matter when the information precipitating the cancellation first surfaces or should have been known, even if the solicitation is not canceled until after proposals have been submitted and evaluated and protesters have incurred costs in pursuing the award.
As discussed above, the record shows that FPD reduced its space requirement such that cancellation of the solicitation was reasonable. The Coffelts also complain that although GSA asserts that the special requirements include compliance with the United States Marshals Service and United States Courts Design Guide publications, GSA is unable to cite any specific requirement within either publication that will apply to the leased space.
Comments on Amended Supp. However, the solicitation did not include the specific details of a number of the security-related special requirements, and it did not incorporate the United States Marshals Service publication or the United States Courts Design Guide.
Latvian initially asserted that the agency improperly failed to post the solicitation on the FedBizOpps website; provide offerors with drawings, specifications, and an opportunity for a site visit; and provide an adequate solicitation response time.
Protest at 1, Further, where a valid basis for cancellation exists, an agency properly may cancel a solicitation no matter when the information precipitating the cancellation first surfaces or should have been known. The agency has demonstrated that the cancellation occurred after the agency identified flaws in the solicitation that reasonably could be expected to limit competition.
More specifically, after Latvian filed its initial protest, the contracting officer concluded that the four-day period during which the solicitation was inaccessible may have prevented potential offerors from having sufficient time to respond to the solicitation and that the agency would be unable to process site visit registrations in time for the site visit.
Latvian itself argued in its initial protest that a longer solicitation response time and a site visit were necessary for adequate proposal preparation. Protest at 1, 8; Comments at 4. Kingdomware contends that cancellation of the RFQ was not reasonable, because the RFQ did provide the salient characteristics, which Kingdomware states it satisfies. Failure of a solicitation to list the salient characteristics of the desired item improperly restricts competition by precluding potential offerors of equal products from determining what characteristics are considered essential for its item to be accepted; hence, cancellation of the solicitation is warranted.
Kingdomware also contends that VA is biased in favor of the brand name such that other products will not be fairly considered. See Comments at There is no merit to these arguments. We will not attribute unfair or prejudicial motives to procurement officials on the basis of inference or supposition.
Because the RFQ failed to state salient characteristics that equal products must meet, VA had reasonable basis to cancel the solicitation. The protester contends that the solicitation was an IFB that provided for award to the lowest-priced bidder. Kingdomware argues that the cancellation of the solicitation was improper because Kingdomware is ready and able to provide the services according to the material specifications of the solicitation.
Memorandum of Law at 2. The standards for canceling a solicitation after receipt of bids or quotations differ. However, an agency must have a cogent and compelling reason to cancel an IFB after the receipt of sealed bids. Although the procurement here most closely resembles a negotiated competition, we conclude that cancellation of the solicitation was proper even under the more stringent standard applicable to cancellation of IFBs after bid opening.
As the Army notes, the solicitation did not clearly apprise vendors whether the procurement was being conducted on a sealed bid or negotiated procurement basis. It also did not advise vendors of the basis upon which their submissions would be evaluated, which we have found to be a fundamental requirement. Kingdomware Technologies , B See Bid Protest Regulations, 4.
We will, however, review the propriety of a contract termination where it flows from a defect that the contracting agency perceived in the award process. In such cases, we examine the award procedures that underlie the termination action for the limited purpose of determining whether the initial award was improper and, if so, whether the corrective action taken is proper.
Although AMH contends that the agency should have waived the U. Disputes concerning application of the Cargo Preference Act and waiver of that Act are subject to the Contract Disputes Act of , and are properly before boards of contract appeals and the United States Court of Federal Claims. American Material Handling, Inc. MedVet raises numerous arguments objecting to the cancellation of the SFO.
Specifically, MedVet complains that the missing requirements in the SFO do not provide a reasonable basis for the cancellation because MedVet provided for these requirements in its proposal. MedVet also contends that the deficiencies in the SFO cited by the agency do not exist or constitute, at best, minor deficiencies.
In a negotiated procurement, a contracting agency has broad discretion in deciding whether to cancel a solicitation, and need only establish a reasonable basis for doing so. Logistics Solutions Group, Inc. It is a fundamental obligation under the Competition in Contracting Act of that agencies obtain full and open competition, both to ensure that a procurement is open to all responsible sources and to provide the government with the opportunity to receive fair and reasonable prices.
Although the VA only fully explained the basis of this concern in response to our inquiries after the agency had filed its report in response to the protest, we do not agree with MedVet that this was not a valid concern. The record also shows that the SFO did not adequately address a number of agency requirements. Rather, MedVet argues, as it has throughout its protest, that VA has no basis to cancel the SFO where the protester otherwise [deleted].
The fact that MedVet may have [Deleted] misses the point. It is fundamental that offerors must be advised of the basis upon which their proposals will be evaluated. A solicitation that does not set forth a common basis for evaluating offers, which ensures that all offerors are on notice of the requirements for award and can compete on an equal basis, is materially defective. Therefore, it is necessary for the sake of fair and equal treatment of all offerors that the solicitation contain the same requirements, so that their proposals are evaluated using the same criteria.
We conclude that the cancellation was reasonable, and that re-solicitation is justified. Cancellation of a solicitation is appropriate where an agency finds that its needs are no longer accurately reflected by an RFP, such as when there is a significant reduction in the anticipated workload. Here, the record establishes a reasonable basis for the cancellation of the solicitation.
In addition, the agency states that greater reporting requirements and additional performance measures, such as response time, vacancy reports and customer service, are necessary and will be included in the new solicitation. While BCA disagrees and suggests that the cancellation was a pretext not to make award to BCA, the record shows that the agency had a reasonable basis for cancelling the RFTOP because of the significant reduction in level of effort based on the budget reductions and the other changes in its requirements.
Business Computer Applications, Inc. A procuring agency has broad authority to cancel a solicitation issued under negotiated procedures and need only establish a reasonable basis for cancellation.
If an agency cannot purchase at a fair and reasonable price, as required by the FAR, then cancellation is warranted. Further, the contracting officer considered other factors that could affect the price of the services being procured, such as the location of the games and local prices for gasoline and driving services. As a result of his analysis, the contracting officer concluded that adequate price competition did not exist and that award could not be made at a reasonable price.
Contracting officials in negotiated procurements have broad discretion to take corrective action where the agency determines that such action is necessary to ensure fair and impartial competition. Instead, with respect to proposal evaluation and award, the solicitation provided as follows: The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers: We agree with the agency that the language used in the solicitation appears to indicate that the contract would be awarded on the basis of the best value to the government.
Specifically, when a solicitation indicates that an award will be made based on what is most advantageous to the government, and lists factors in descending order of importance, it generally indicates that the agency plans to make award on a best value basis. Since the agency intended to award the contract on the basis of the lowest priced, technically acceptable offer, the agency had a reasonable basis to cancel the solicitation.
In this regard, it is fundamental that vendors should be advised of the basis on which their offers will be evaluated. NDA requests the agency terminate the contract with BAH and award a contract to small business offerors for that work. A reasonable basis to cancel exists when, for example, an agency determines that a solicitation does not accurately reflect its needs, Logistics Solutions Group, Inc.
Moreover, an agency may cancel a solicitation no matter when the information precipitating the cancellation first arises, even if it is not until proposals have been submitted and evaluated. Consequently, the agency no longer had a requirement for the work being solicited. In this regard, replacing the SOW was so substantial a change that it exceeded what potential offerors could have anticipated.
National Defense Advisors, Inc. The protester contends that the agency's decision to cancel the RFP was unreasonable. The protester also argues that it was unreasonable for the agency to compare the offerors' prices to the government estimate or the prior contract price because the agency did not offer a site visit and did not set forth facilities requirements in the RFP. Therefore, the protester claims, offerors were lead to believe that only one facility, owned by National Aviation Services NAS could be used.
If an agency cannot purchase at a "fair and reasonable" price, as required by the FAR, then cancellation is warranted. In this regard, we have found cancellations proper where the protester's price exceeded the government estimate by as little as 7. Based upon our review of the record, there is no basis to find unreasonable the Air Force's determination that none of the prices were fair and reasonable.
As noted above, the agency compared the offerors' prices to the government estimate and the prior contract price. Given that the lowest proposed price exceeded the government estimate by a significant amount, we think the agency could reasonably conclude that the offered prices were not reasonable and that the offerors did not clearly understand the requirements of the RFP. First, KNAPP argues that VA should not have cancelled the solicitation, and should have instead awarded it the contract as the lowest-priced, technically acceptable offeror.
For the reasons discussed below, we conclude that the agency's corrective action was reasonable. Domain Name Alliance Registry, B As a general matter, the details of corrective action taken in response to a protest are within the sound discretion and judgment of the contracting agency.
In response to the instant protest and request for costs, VA has provided additional information concerning its rationale for opting to cancel and resolicit. Agency Response to Request for Costs, June 3, , at 3. Second, the agency states that it concluded that cancellation of the solicitation was necessary because the agency intends to add additional requirements to the TCA system.
Agency Response to Protest B In this regard, VA states that the agency currently uses a manual mail packaging system, and it intends to add the following additional requirements to the TCA procurement: The new solicitation will encompass a fully automated packaging system that conveys completed prescription bottles directly from dispensing automation, prints, folds and inserts requisite patient literature and the prescription bottle into a pouch that meets the requirements of the [U.
In a negotiated procurement such as this one, a contracting agency has broad discretion in deciding whether to cancel a solicitation, and need only establish a reasonable basis for doing so. Golden Investment Research Private Limited. Ltd dishtv india ltd focus corporate alliance pvt ltd PeakSoft Technologies Pvt. Focus Corporate Alliance Pvt. Vario Info Tech Ltd. Focus corporate alliance pvt ltd Happy Home Souk Pvt.
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Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Recent SSA Headquarters Contracting History. This is a listing of awards, sorted by Contractor's Names in alphabetical groupings, made by the Office of Acquisition and Grants, the contracting office for the Social Security Administration. Bulgarian Manufacturers. Here are the 5, suppliers from Bulgaria. Panjiva helps you find manufacturers and suppliers you can trust. Click on the name of the supplier below to see more detail, or better yet, use the powerful Panjiva Supplier Search Engine to find the suppliers from Bulgaria that best meet your needs.
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Categories for Canada
31,331. 12/7/2019
CANADA/MEXICO/NANCY PELOSI/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/USMCA: "Hard to believe, but if Nancy Pelosi had put our great Trade Deal with Mexico and Canada, USMCA, up for a vote long ago, our economy would be even better. If she doesn't move quickly, it will collapse!"
–Donald Trump, Twitter.com, December 7, 2019 1:54 pm
CANADA/FOREIGN DIGNITARIES/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: "RT @WhiteHouse: President @realDonaldTrump just met with Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau of Canada. https://t.co/OqglFETMSE"
–Donald Trump, Twitter.com, December 3, 2019 12:45 pm
31,101. 11/30/2019
CANADA/MEXICO/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: "RT @TeamTrump: One year ago today, President @realDonaldTrump signed the #USMCA with Canada and Mexico. It now sits on Nancy Pelosi's desk…"
–Donald Trump, Twitter.com, November 30, 2019 6:48 pm
CANADA/ELECTION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: "Congratulations to @JustinTrudeau on a wonderful and hard fought victory. Canada is well served. I look forward to working with you toward the betterment of both of our countries!"
–Donald Trump, Twitter.com, October 21, 2019 11:33 pm
27,426. 8/14/2019
CANADA/DONALD JR/SECRET SERVICE/TRUMP FAMILY: "Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son, flew to Canada for one of his regular visits to the Yukon mountains to hunt stone sheep with friends. He was accompanied by Secret Service agents on that August 2017 trip, just as he had been since his father was sworn in as president six months earlier. The Secret Service frequented several Vancouver hotels: Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel, Pinnacle Hotel Vancouver Harbourfront and Lakeview Inn and Suites. But it spent the most money at the president's hotel, the Trump International Hotel and Tower Vancouver, according to documents obtained by POLITICO. The Secret Service is required to protect the president's children, but the tendency of Trump and his family to funnel funds to their own properties has complicated what had been a routine practice. Critics say the Trumps are using the presidency to boost the president's businesses by forcing the federal government to spend taxpayer money at Trump properties. Congress hasn't launched a formal investigation into federal spending at Trump properties, but some House Democrats are eyeing it as a future area for congressional examination."
–Anita Kumar, "Why the Secret Service spent thousands at a Trump hotel," Politico, August 14, 2019 5:22 am
CANADA/DRUGS/FDA/PHARMA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: "The Trump administration said on Wednesday [7-31-19] that it was taking steps to make it easier to import less expensive prescription drugs from other countries, particularly Canada. The move has long been supported by progressives but has encountered fierce opposition from the pharmaceutical industry. The proposal would permit pilot programs developed by states, pharmacies or drug distributors that sought to safely import prescription medications from Canada. The Food and Drug Administration also planned to advise manufacturers on how they could import high-priced drugs like insulin that are sold more cheaply in other countries…The rising price of prescription drugs has been a popular topic at the Democratic presidential debates, and the timing of the administration's announcement fell in the middle of the Tuesday-Wednesday schedule of this month's debates for the Democratic candidates."
–Katie Thomas, "Trump Administration Weighs Allowing Drug Imports for Cheaper Prescriptions," The New York Times online, July 31, 2019
CANADA/DRUGS/HHS/PHARMA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: "The Trump administration took a step Wednesday [7-31-19] toward allowing importation of medicines from Canada, an action the president has advocated as a way to bring cheaper prescription drugs to Americans, but the pharmaceutical industry was quick to resist the move. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said it and the Food and Drug Administration will propose a rule that will allow it to authorize states and other groups to pursue pilot projects related to importing drugs from Canada. The agency also said it would allow drugmakers to bring drugs that they sell more cheaply in foreign countries into the United States for sale here, an option the companies are unlikely to embrace. Capital Alpha analyst Rob Smith, in a research note, questioned why manufacturers would voluntarily lower prices in the United States to match those in Canadian or any other foreign country."
–Michael Erman, "Trump firms up plan to import medicines; pharma companies resist," Reuters, July 31, 2019 5:41 am
CANADA/JOBS/MEXICO/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: "RT @PAChamber: Trade with Canada and Mexico supports more than 12 million American jobs in every state in the Union. In fact, 49 U.S. state…"
–Donald Trump, Twitter.com, July 11, 2019 10:26 pm
AUTO INDUSTRY/CANADA/CLIMATE CHANGE/ENVIRONMENT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: "Canada has signaled a willingness to buck one of President Trump's most significant environmental rollbacks — a major weakening of auto pollution standards — by signing a clean-car deal with California, the state leading the fight against the rollback. Wednesday's [6-26-19] Agreement, which pledges to advance the use of clean and electric cars, lacks binding specifics. Nevertheless, Canada's decision to publicly align itself with California and its climate-change policies inserts the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau into a high-profile battle being waged over Mr. Trump's weakening of rules designed to combat climate change…Traditionally, Canada has aligned its auto emissions standards with federal rules in the United States. However, several analysts said they saw Wednesday's announcement as a clear step toward a more concrete shift in which Canada could potentially switch to the environmentally stricter standards of California and other states. Such a move could undercut Mr. Trump's efforts to weaken environmental policy by creating a much larger market for cleaner cars, thereby making it more economically viable for auto manufacturers to build cars to the higher standards."
–Coral Davenport, "Canada Signals a Willingness to Challenge Trump on His Clean-Car Rollback," The New York Times online, June 26, 2019
CANADA/FOREIGN POLICY/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: "Canada's prime minister left a meeting in the Oval Office Thursday [6-20-19] with a mixed political blessing: A proclamation of friendship from President Donald Trump. Justin Trudeau doesn't want to be seen as chummy with Trump, since Trudeau's liberal base back home despises him. But the reality is Canada — and Trudeau in his reelection efforts — need Trump on a wide range of trade and foreign policy issues. Trump has already come through for Trudeau in lifting steel tariffs, and he's helping Canada when it comes to dealing with China, which has battered Canada in myriad ways — arresting its citizens, blocking its imports, and freezing out Canadian leaders from any facetime. Trump has also promised to take up Canada's concerns with Chinese President Xi Jinping when they meet next week at the G20 in Japan. And instead of rage-tweeting at Trudeau, which Trump did after visiting Canada a year ago, on Thursday following their meeting Trump instantly tweeted a flattering video, accompanied by an orchestral soundtrack."
–Alexander Panetta, "Canadians may not like Trump, but they really need his help," Politico, June 20, 2019 6:06 pm
CANADA/FOREIGN DIGNITARIES/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: "It was my great honor to host Canadian Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau at the @WhiteHouse today!🇺🇸🇨🇦 https://t.co/orlejZ9FFs"
–Donald Trump, Twitter.com, June 20, 2019 12:49 pm
25,422. 6/4/2019
CANADA/MEXICO/TARIFFS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: "It was a jubilant day for North America. At least, it looked that way to leaders in Mexico City and Ottawa. Steel tariffs had just been lifted across the continent. Relieved Canadians had responded by introducing a bill to implement USMCA, the Trump administration's signature trade deal, and Mexico had just followed suit on Thursday [5-30-19]. Vice President Mike Pence was in Ottawa to celebrate the progress and cheer on America's neighbors. Within hours, the moment of continental comity blew up with two tweets from President Donald Trump. Trump's sudden declaration of new tariffs on Mexico last Thursday evening delivered immediate whiplash, a jolt for two countries that had — for a moment — thought they might be coming off the Trump roller coaster…Officials in Mexico and Canada in recent days kicked into gear with playbooks they've each used repeatedly in navigating a fractious relationship with Trump over the past two years. They're deploying lessons other nations have come to learn as well: stay calm, speak the American president's language and find Trump-friendly voices who can lean on him to deescalate the tensions."
–Sabrina Rodriuez and Alexander Panetta, "Trump's trade war gobsmacks Mexico and Canada," Politico, June 4, 2019 10:10 pm
CANADA/CONGRESS/MEXICO/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: "RT @ChuckGrassley: Thx to Pres Trump/Amb Lighthizer & Canada/Mexico for working to get to this pt Now it's time for Congress to do its job…"
–Donald Trump, Twitter.com, May 22, 2019 5:41 am
CAMPAIGN FINANCE/CANADA/ELECTION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: "A campaign finance watchdog group filed a complaint on Tuesday [5-21-19] against a Canadian billionaire alleging that he violated a federal ban on contributions by foreigners when his United States-based company donated $1.75 million last year to a political committee supporting President Trump's agenda. The complaint was filed by the watchdog group, the Campaign Legal Center, with the Federal Election Commission against Barry Zekelman, the chief executive of Zekelman Industries, North America's largest steel tube manufacturer. Mr. Zekelman has pushed the Trump administration to take steps that help block the import to the United States of steel tube made by his competitors. Mr. Zekelman, whose efforts to influence federal policy on steel tariffs was detailed in a story in The New York Times, was invited to a dinner with Mr. Trump at the Trump International Hotel in April 2018, after the first contribution to the Trump-affiliated committee, America First Action Super PAC, for $1 million. Two more contributions — first for an additional $250,000 and then $500,000 more — followed during 2018, making Zekelman Industries one of the single biggest contributors to Mr. Trump's political causes."
–Eric Lipton, "Watchdog Group Files Complaint Over Donation to Trump Super PAC by Canadian Billionaire's Company," The New York Times online, May 21, 2019
BUSINESS/CANADA/LOBBYING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: "Barry Zekelman, a Canadian billionaire whose business is mostly in the United States, is not a guy who likes to lose — or go slow. On days off, he likes to race his Ferrari 488 sports cars. Or he might climb aboard his Gulfstream IV jet to fly to the Bahamas to visit his 121-foot superyacht, which he named 'Man of Steel' in a nod to his role as chief executive of Zekelman Industries, North America's largest steel-tube manufacturer. So when Mr. Zekelman saw a chance to address his greatest frustration — a flood of cheap steel tube imports into the United States that was undermining sales at his family-owned, Chicago-based company — he went all out to win in another intensely competitive arena: influencing policy in Washington. He called on well-placed connections, including a lawyer who had done work for him and had gone on to a senior position helping oversee trade policy in the Trump administration. He put his Washington-based lobbyist into action, and his company took a high-profile role with a trade group that was backing his cause. He funded his own advertising campaign to build public support for his efforts to protect makers of steel tube in the United States."
–Eric Lipton, "He's One of the Biggest Backers of Trump's Push to Protect American Steel. And He's Canadian.," The New York Times online, May 20, 2019
CANADA/MEXICO/TARIFFS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: "The Trump administration reached an agreement with Canada and Mexico to lift tariffs on metal imports, resolving a yearlong standoff that inflamed North Atlantic tensions and complicated efforts to ratify a revised trade deal…As part of the agreement, both Mexico and Canada agreed to lift retaliatory tariffs on American products. Instead of tariffs, the nations would set up a system for monitoring and enforcement in case of import surges into the United States. In a statement on Friday [5-17-19] afternoon, the United States trade representative said that the metal tariffs would be removed and that both Mexico and Canada 'had agreed on the removal of all retaliatory tariffs imposed on American goods by those countries.' The Mexican government also said that it had reached an agreement with the United States to lift the steel and aluminum tariffs. In a statement issued by the office of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the government said that there would be no quotas."
–Ana Swanson and Dan Bilefsky, "United States Reaches Deal to Lift Metal Tariffs on Canada and Mexico," The New York Times online, May 17, 2019
CANADA/CHINA/EU/MEXICO/TARIFFS/TRADE WAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: "President Trump agreed on Friday [5-17-19] to lift tariffs on metal imports from Mexico and Canada, removing a major irritant for two important allies that in exchange agreed to stop punishing American farmers with their own taxes on pork, cheese and milk. At the same time, Mr. Trump postponed a decision on whether to impose tariffs on automobiles imported from Europe, Japan and other countries for six months, setting a tight deadline for the United States to reach trade deals that have so far proved elusive. Together, the actions remove the threat of an all-encompassing global trade war and allow Mr. Trump to focus on pushing China to agree to the United States' trade terms, as well as pressuring Europe and Japan to reach a trade deal before the 2020 election. His trade war has hurt many of the farmers who make up his political base, and he is eager to make good on a 2016 campaign promise to rewrite trade deals in America's favor…The United States trade representative said in a statement that the metal tariffs would be removed and both Mexico and Canada 'had agreed on the removal of all retaliatory tariffs imposed on American goods by those countries.'"
–Ana Swanson, "Trump Lifts Metal Tariffs and Delays Auto Levies, Limiting Global Trade Fight," The New York Times online, May 17, 2019
CANADA/MEXICO/TARIFFS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: "Senate Finance Chairman Chuck Grassley suggested today that U.S. and Canadian officials could be nearing a deal to lift the tariffs President Donald Trump imposed on steel and aluminum imports. Grassley, in a call with reporters, said he's hopeful U.S. and Canadian officials are working to conclude negotiations 'based on the fact that it seems to me … that they're talking'…The Trump administration has met with Canadian and Mexican officials on and off for almost a year in an effort to remove the tariffs and replace them with quotas. However, both countries have pushed back against the Trump administration's insistence on quotas, and it remains unclear what a deal to lift the tariffs would look like for the North American trading partners. Removing the duties, which Trump imposed on national security grounds, would clear a major hurdle in the effort to ratify the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement in all three countries. Grassley has repeatedly called for the Trump administration to lift the tariffs, going so far as to say the USMCA is dead if the duties are not removed."
–Sabrina Rodriguez, "Grassley says U.S., Canada could soon resolve steel tariffs," Politico, May 14, 2019 10:56 am
CANADA/ELECTION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: "Prime Minister Justin Trudeau agonized over what might seem like an inconsequential detail before his first meeting with President Donald Trump: how to shake hands. During a February 2017 flight to Washington to meet the president, Trudeau was fixated with being viewed as standing his ground without antagonizing Trump. So the prime minister spent part of the flight practicing his handshake with senior aides. The combination shoulder grip-handshake he settled on didn't just avoid the cringe-inducing exchange Japan's Shinzo Abe endured a few days earlier. It also offered a snapshot of Trudeau's approach to Trump: to seek contrast, not confrontation, and to be viewed as standing his ground, politely, with a dominant alpha male American leader. Now Trudeau will test his relationship with Trump as he launches an unexpectedly difficult Canadian reelection campaign."
–Alexander Panetta, "Trudeau's reelection bid faces the Trump test," Politico, May 2, 2019 5:03 am
CANADA/CHINA/SANCTIONS/TECHNOLOGY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: "Canada's foreign minister warned top Trump administration officials on Friday [12-14-18] not to politicize the pending extradition of Chinese technology executive Meng Wanzhou. 'Canada understands the rule of law and extradition ought not ever to be politicized or used as tools to resolve other issues,' Chrystia Freeland, Canada's foreign affairs minister, told reporters after a closed-door meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense James Mattis. Freeland was alluding to President Donald Trump's suggestion earlier this week that he might intervene in Meng's case if it would help resolve the bitter trade war between the U.S. and China. Canada arrested Meng based on an extradition request from the Trump administration. The Department of Justice has accused her of secretly selling equipment to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions."
–Deirdre Shesgreen, "Canada to Trump administration: Don't play politics with Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou extradition case," USA Today, December 14, 2018 4:41 pm
CANADA/CHINA/TECHNOLOGY/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: "Top law enforcement officials on Wednesday [12-12-18] pushed back on comments from President Donald Trump suggesting the prosecution of a Chinese telecommunications executive could be used as leverage in trade negotiations…Demers said Wednesday that if Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou is extradited from Canada, as the US has requested, 'our criminal case will continue,' he said. He declined to comment further on the case. In an interview with Reuters Tuesday, Trump said he would intervene in the case against Meng if it proved beneficial in securing a trade deal that has splintered relations between the two countries in recent months…The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony Wednesday from Demers and other top counterintelligence and cybersecurity officials on Chinese espionage threats."
–David Shortell, "Law enforcement officials rebuff Trump over prosecution of Chinese executive," CNN Politics, CNN.com, December 12, 2018 9:00 pm
CANADA/CHINA/ECONOMY/TECHNOLOGY/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: "When President Trump said in an interview this week that he was willing to intercede in the case of a Chinese telecom executive facing extradition to the United States if it helped achieve 'the largest trade deal ever made,' it was a clear signal that his White House saw no problem intervening in the justice system to achieve what it considered economic gain. A range of experts agreed on Wednesday [12-12-18] that the president had the legal authority to order the government to rescind the extradition request for the executive, Meng Wanzhou, or even drop the charges against her. But they could not point to another instance of a president injecting himself into a criminal proceeding in a similar way…Ms. Meng, the chief financial officer of the telecommunications giant Huawei, was arrested last week by Canadian authorities at the request of the American government on suspicion of fraud related to Iranian sanctions. Mr. Trump said in an interview with Reuters that 'I would certainly intervene if I thought it was necessary' for a trade deal."
–Michael Tackett and Charlie Savage, "Trump's Intervention in Huawei Case Would Be Legal, but Bad Precedent, Experts Say," The New York Times online, December 12, 2018
CANADA/CHINA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: "Canada issued a stern warning to President Donald Trump on Wednesday [12-12-18]: don't use the arrest of a Chinese executive as a bargaining chip in trade talks. "Our extradition partners should not seek to politicize the extradition process or use it for ends other than the pursuit of justice," Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said at a press conference discussing the US request for extradition of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou. Freeland's remarks come after Trump said in an interview Tuesday that he might intervene in the legal saga if it would help the United States and China reach a trade deal…His comments, which were published shortly after Meng was granted bail by a judge in Vancouver, were highly unusual for an American President, and contradicted assertions by senior officials in his administration that the December 1 arrest, part of a long-running investigation, should not be tied to Trump's dinner that same day with Chinese President Xi Jinping."
–Julia Horowitz, "Canada warns Trump administration against politicizing Chinese executive's arrest," CNN Politics, CNN.com, December 12, 2018 6:34 am
CANADA/CONGRESS/MEXICO/NAFTA/TARIFFS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: "President Donald Trump just celebrated the signing of a new North American trade pact with Canada and Mexico, but he faces a huge roadblock in Congress over U.S. tariffs that are still in place on steel and aluminum imports from the two U.S. neighbors. The two nations are still working to negotiate a deal with the Trump administration so that they can be exempt from the duties. In the meantime, American industries will continue to be hurt by Mexico and Canada's retaliatory duties on more than $15 billion worth of U.S. goods…Trump has stepped up his pressure on getting the new agreement turned into law after he told reporters on Saturday that he would formally notify Congress of his intention to withdraw from NAFTA in six months. Such a move could force lawmakers to act on the new deal, which is already expected to face a fiery debate from lawmakers over concerns about certain provisions related to labor and LGBTQ rights. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have publicly criticized the administration's continued tariffs on the two U.S. allies, arguing the detrimental effects both the duties and retaliatory tariffs have on U.S. manufacturers, consumers and workers."
–Sabrina Rodriguez, "Trump's new NAFTA has hard fight in Congress while steel tariffs remain," Politico, December 6, 2018 5:11 am

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The success, or otherwise, of the large number of things we want to achieve may usually be measured by the extent of our planning. When purchasing a car, for instance, we start planning by first considering what we like. In broad conditions, this might be broken down into three crucial areas; specification, age, and price. Click here for more details on house enhancements.
The specification may consist of power/speed, safety, size, technology, and design. Whereas, when we are considering age, we are thinking about the integrity and the threat of breakdown, along with other elements like a guarantee which may help us stay clear of this threat. Ultimately, we arrive at the price; can the preferred specification and age be obtained within budget? Otherwise, a compromise of the three crucial areas requires to be made.
The similar three crucial factors – specification, age, and price – might be applied to most purchasing decisions, for instance, purchasing a computer. When finding the specification requirements this; would again consist of power/speed, safety, size, technology, and design. You should also consider the generation of the computer hardware, its stability and what after sale services are offered. Ultimately, can this be achieved for the intended price?
Therefore, what decision making process do you undergo when setting about your house enhancements? If it is easy painting and decorating, a new kitchen/bathroom, an extension to your existing house or the construction of a new pool, adopting a similar planned procedure can pay dividends later on.
Power/speed – do they have the capability and capacity to perform the tasks as explained and within the time frame specified?
Safety – does the building contractor take the required due care and attention to perform the task appropriately and safely?
Size – measurements might be vital, are they precisely mentioned?
Technology – for instance, a new kitchen, has the building contractor specified what make/model of home appliances will be fitted? Or, how have the items been represented in the quotation?
Style – for instance, a new bathroom, have you been provided the option of selecting your own tiles? How has this been demonstrated in the estimate?
After that, similarly to purchasing a computer or a car, consideration should be given to age, integrity, guarantees, and obviously price.
Make yourself comfortable with your building contractor's attitude, take a look at their references/testimonials and make sure that all craftsmanship is assured. Most reliable building contractors may have a website where you will manage to discover more about them and the method they work. Otherwise, ask your prospective building contractor to deliver you with testimonials/references. Chances are, if they cat not deliver them, the building contractor might have things to hide.
A realistic strategy is essential; if one builder has submitted an estimate on one side of A4, it is unexpected that they will deliver the similar quality and specification as another builder who gives four pages of detail, consisting of a complete specification, along with guarantee of quality work. As a result, ensure your builder offers you with a properly comprehensive specification, something that might be described in cases of conflict.
The secret to being successful with any house enhancement task is in the planning phase. Usually, the lowest quote may not auarantee the best result. Be extensive in your planning to make sure you do get the intended result.


If you suspect your smoke alarm is faulty or damaged, even if by accident, please urgently contact the Property Services Team on 0141 331 6652. Do not attempt to disconnect the smoke alarm at any time as you will be immediately placing yourself at increased risk in the event of a fire.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service want to make sure your home is as safe from fire as it can be. They provide a FREE Home Fire Safety Visit, available at any mutually convenient time (day or night). Their staff can help you to spot potential fire hazards and offer advice and guidance and fit smoke alarms free of charge (if your home requires them).
The visit takes around 20 minutes and that 20 minutes might just save your life.
It is essential that your home has a working smoke alarm. If a fire starts, this will give you and your family time to get to safety.
Fire often starts in the kitchen and no-one should ever leave a cooker unattended while it is in use.
Stay in the room with any lit candles and make sure they are kept away from children and pets, and from curtains or other flammable materials.
Get out only if safe to do so, stay out and call 999.
Never open a door if it's warm to touch, there could be fire inside.
To assist in robust fire safety across our Multi Storey & Deck Access properties, we ask for your continued vigilance and cooperation to ensure common areas are kept clear of obstructions.
Please alert our Concierge Teams to any areas requiring attention.
Scottish Fire & Rescue service has confirmed that in the event of a fire, residents should Stay in Place to allow controlled fire-fighting and evacuation, as deemed appropriate by them, at the time. For further information from Scottish Fire & Rescue Service call 0800 0731 999 or visit www.firescotland.gov.uk.