This is pretty much S.O.P. In a government contract of this size, the losers are almost automatically going to contest the award and the gubmint is going to put everything on hold until a review is complete and the award is either affirmed or reversed.
On an aside, I have to say I’m generally pretty impressed with Musk. Yes, he’s played the government contract and subsidy game to the hilt, but I do think the government is at least getting good value for its dollar with him. Plus he has a big vision and is pushing to make it happen. I don’t know if he’ll ever land someone on Mars, but if anyone can do it, he probably can.
It's not a great idea to bet against him, that's for sure. :^) My guess is, SpaceX will put someTHING on the Martian surface by 2030, and I'd NOT be surprised if it happens in 2022. They'll want to test landing systems, and until they do, they'll never get man-rating on that Starship [sic] they've been systematically destroying with every test the past year or so. :^) In nine years? They'll have been going to the Moon for four or five years, and it also won't surprise me if they put the first humans on Mars in 2030. And no one else will be able to do that for a long time. In another tab, I'm streaming a vid of Jeremy Clarkson enjoying the Model X.
What I found, but not surprised by, is the other “competitors” for the bid, could not meet all of the requirements, yet when they didn’t get the contract, would protest. You are right, unfortunately the government allows for the losers to cry about unfairness. In the end, it is usually awarded to the first winner because they fulfilled the requirements.