[Protest of ARS Rejection of Bid as Nonresponsive]

A firm protested the Agricultural Research Service's (ARS) rejection of its bid for equipment inspection services, contending that: (1) ARS improperly rejected its low bid; and (2) the second and third low bids were nonresponsive. GAO held that: (1) ARS properly rejected the protester's bid as nonresponsive because the protester unacceptably qualified the bid; and (2) the protester untimely filed the portion of its protest regarding the second and third low bids. Accordingly, the protest was denied in part and dismissed in part.