An unsuccessful bidder on a public contract lacked standing to bring a writ of mandate to challenge the award of the contract to another bidder because the plaintiff’s bid was undeniably non-responsive to the awarding entity’s request for proposals. While there is an exception to the standing requirement allowing persons to challenge administrative decisions on behalf of the public, the exception is discretionary with the courts and depends on the seriousness of the alleged error and other factors, among which is that a plaintiff primarily pursuing its individual interest may be denied standing on behalf of the public.
California Court of Appeal, Sixth District (Elia, J.); May 24, 2017 (published June 20, 2017); 12 Cal. App. 5th 1043