[Protest of Rejection of Offer by OPM]

A firm protested the rejection of its offer under an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) solicitation for credit data and reports, contending that it should have received the award because it was the low, experienced offerer and had proposed to perform in the same manner as it had under a previous OPM contract which was acceptable under another solicitation. The protester also objected because the item for which it was found unacceptable represented only 5 percent of the contract. The specifications required over-the-counter service to be provided to OPM investigators in any credit bureau in the United States and two territories. Since the protester had failed to provide this service in the previous contract, OPM considered the present offer to be something less than an offer of total compliance. GAO held that, since the offer was technically unacceptable and did not meet the material and essential needs of OPM, the agency acted properly. Accordingly, the protest was denied.