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B-401349 1 (2009-06-08)

handle is hein.gao/gaobadawn0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Ii .L A GA O Comptroller General f. A Accountabity * Integrity * Reliability of the United States United States Government Accountability Office Washington, DC 20548 D .. Decision Matter of: Bernard Humbles--Designated Employee Agent File: B-401349 Date: June 8, 2009 Bernard Humbles, Designated Employee Agent, the protester. Dennis Foley, Esq., Department of Veterans Affairs, for the agency. Edward Goldstein, Esq., and Christine S. Melody, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST Protest filed by Designated Employee Agent challenging agency's decision to contract for headstone setting services without conducting a public-private competition is dismissed where the protester represents a group of employees whose positions are not at risk as a consequence of the contemplated contracting decision. DECISION Bernard Humbles--Designated Employee Agent protests the decision by the Department of Veterans Affairs to contract for headstone setting services at the Fort Logan National Cemetery, Denver, Colorado. Mr. Humbles contends that contracting for headstone setting services constitutes an unlawful direct conversion of a function or activity performed by federal employees who work at Fort Logan as cemetery caretakers. We dismiss the protest. Fort Logan National Cemetery was established as a National Cemetery in 1950. The cemetery sits on 214 acres, has approximately 77,000 headstones, and, on average, holds 3,650 burials and interments per year (an average of approximately 14 per day). Of the 126 national cemeteries, Fort Logan is ranked seventh in terms of interment operations. According to the agency, 32 full-time equivalent government employees work at Fort Logan, including four cemetery caretakers. As reflected in their position descriptions, cemetery caretakers are primarily responsible for interments, grounds