Protest Alleging That Solicitation Requirement Was Unreasonably Restrictive of Competition

On-Line Systems, Inc. protested that a solicitation to provide data processing and information support services for the Guaranteed Student Loan Program of the Office of Education unduly restricted competition. A principal requirement of the request for proposals (RFP) was for a transportable software system design that should be written in Common Business Oriented Language (COBOL). An amendment to the RFP specified that offerors choosing to use a database management system (DBMS) as part of their proposed system must use a DBMS resembling the one defined by the Committee for Standards of Data Systems Language. On-Line Systems, the incumbent contractor, alleged that this requirement precluded it from using the computer language that it owns and is currently using for the program. This allegation was rejected because the use of a DBMS was optional and the RFP allowed the submission of alternate proposals. GAO held that the solicitation was not restrictive of competition, that the agency validly needed a transportable system, and that COBOL is the only Federal standard transportable language.