[Protest of Air Force Exclusion of Bid From Competitive Range]

A firm protested the Air Force's exclusion of its bid from the competitive range under a request for proposals for the development of test plans. The Air Force eliminated the bid from competition after it determined that the bid was substantially higher priced and lower ranked technically than the bids of the other competitors. The protester contended that the Air Force had no reasonable basis for excluding its proposal from the competitive range and that it should have been given the opportunity to revise its bid because it had been technically acceptable. GAO has held that a proposal need not be included in the competitive range simply because it is technically acceptable when it is determined that it has no reasonable chance for award. GAO saw no basis for questioning the reasonableness of the contracting officer's determination. Furthermore, a firm which does not submit its best price at the first opportunity runs the risk of being excluded from further competition. Accordingly, the protest was denied.