Protest Resulting from Misinformation Presented Orally by Contracting Official

The protester objected to the award of a sales contract on the basis that oral advice received from a Government representative misled the firm into not bidding on an item included in the solicitation. The protest was denied since the solicitation clearly warned bidders not to rely on oral statements or representation by any Government official changing the terms of the solicitation. The contracting official's determination that the scrap sale price represented a fair return to the Government was not disturbed. The protest that the scrap item should have been included in a previous sale was not considered since it was untimely.