[Protest of Any Contract Award Under GSA Request for Proposals]

A firm protested under a General Services Administration (GSA) solicitation for computer security and risk analysis services, contending that the solicitation: (1) unduly restricted competition and precluded small businesses from competing; and (2) was vague and ambiguous in various respects. GSA issued the solicitation to consolidate such services nationwide under one contract. GAO held that: (1) GSA established a reasonable basis for using the consolidated contract; (2) GSA was not required to compromise its needs in order to maximize competition by small businesses; (3) the solicitation did not preclude small businesses from competing as subcontractors because it required offerers to submit a small business subcontracting plan; (4) three test tasks included in the solicitation were sufficiently detailed to allow offerers to compete intelligently and on an equal basis; (5) the solicitation was reasonably clear regarding required training; (6) there was no inconsistency between provisions requiring a rate schedule and subjecting task orders over $100,000 to certain restrictions; (7) the estimates of required work hours were based on historical data and were not ambiguous; and (8) the solicitation provisions ensured that offerers would provide qualified personnel. Accordingly, the protest was denied.