Protest Contending That Low Bid Was Nonresponsive

Protester contended that a competitor's bid was nonresponsive because of a failure to comply with the invitation for bids (IFB) clause entitled "Requirement for Descriptive Literature." In the space permitting a waiver of this requirement, the competitor inserted a contract number to indicate that the same component would be furnished as before. The protester felt that this meant the contracting officer must interpret the information supplied to fulfill the descriptive literature requirement, and that this would render the bid nonresponsive. It was the position of GAO, however, that the meaning was clear, the contracting officer did not find the offer ambiguous, and the bid was responsive. In addition, GAO will not question the agency's decision to make award prior to the resolution of the protest.