CENTER TWP — The U.S. Government Accountability Office has rejected a bid protest against the proposed new U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health care center on North Duffy Road.

The VA awarded the contract Dec. 31 to build the 168,000 square-foot facility to Cambridge Healthcare Solutions.

However, Oxford Development, the developer hoping to build on a site in Butler Township previously approved by the VA, filed a protest against the contract on Jan. 26.

Eric Ransom, an attorney with the GOA overseeing the protest, said the VA took action to address the concerns made by Oxford.

“Our office dismissed the protest in response to the agency taking action we considered to be sufficient to moot the protest, rendering the protest academic,” he said. “It’s what we in general refer to as corrective action.”

Ransom did say what that action was.

The VA issued a stop work order on the project in response to the protest by Oxford. It is not known whether the stop work order on the project has been lifted.

However, Ed Latuska, chairman of the Center Township supervisors, said Cambridge has continued to prepare for the project despite the stop work order.

“When the protest was originally filed, Cambridge was pretty confident the protest was not going through,” he said. “They said it did not have the substance needed, and obviously they were right.”

The new center is to be completed by July 2017.