[Protest of Army's Exclusion of Proposal for Dining Facility Operations From Competitive Range]

A firm protested the Army's exclusion of its proposal from the competitive range under a request for proposals (RFP) for dining facility operations. The Army excluded the offer from the competitive range because it contained questionable bid prices. The protester contended that the deficiencies were minor and did not preclude the Army from evaluating its offer. GAO has held that a contracting agency may exclude a proposal from the competitive range when deficiencies are so material that the proposal would require major revision. GAO found that: (1) the RFP required a specific pricing schedule; and (2) the protester's price proposal would have to be rewritten to permit its evaluation. Therefore, GAO concluded that the Army reasonably eliminated the protester from the competitive range. GAO also found that the protester failed to prove its contention that it was not given the opportunity to amend its offer before being excluded from the competitive range. Accordingly, the protest was denied.