[Protest of Air Force Contract Award for Data System Verification Services]

A firm protested an Air Force contract award for data system verification services, contending that the: (1) Air Force should have made award to it, since its bid was in the competitive range; and (2) contract award at the awardee's higher cost was not in the government's best interest. GAO held that the protester: (1) failed to resolve its bid deficiencies and was not eligible for award; and (2) untimely filed its protest more than 10 days after it learned the basis for protest. Accordingly, the protest was denied in part and dismissed in part.