Validity of Determination That Technical Proposal Qualified for Discussions under Step One of a Two-Step Procurement

The protester alleged that its competitor's technical proposal was unacceptable under step one of a two-step procurement. The protest was timely since the protester did not know the specific grounds of the protest until after step two bid opening. The contracting officer's acceptance of a technical proposal submitted under step one was a proper exercise of discretion since the proposal was determined to be susceptible of being made acceptable. Specification changes made to enhance competition and which reflected the agency's actual minimum needs were not improper merely because they were advantageous to one offerer.