[Protest of Army Requirement To Pay for IFB]

A firm protested specifications under an Army solicitation that required prospective bidders to: (1) pay for bid packages; and (2) provide experience-related information when requesting bid packages. GAO held that: (1) it was well established that contracting agencies may charge for solicitations to cover the costs of providing them; (2) there was no indication that the Army intended to use the requested information to exclude the protester from competition; and (3) the protester failed to state a valid basis for protest. Accordingly, the protest was dismissed.