Protest Alleging That Sole-Source Procurement Was Improper

The Department of the Army awarded a contract for microfiche readers on a sole-source basis because the equipment to be furnished had the essential characteristics the Army needed. Subsequent to the award, two firms filed timely protests with GAO, alleging that they also produce readers that would satisfy all of the Army's requirements. These firms contended that the sole-source procurement was therefore improper. In the opinion of GAO, the protesters must meet the burden of proof and affirmatively prove their cases. Since neither protester has submitted descriptive literature or other data to substantiate the assertions, the burden of proof requirement was not met. There was no showing that the features required by the agency were unreasonable or did not reflect the minimum needs of the agency; hence, the protests were denied.