[Protest Against Air Force Contract Award for Digital Troposcatter Radio]

A firm protested an Air Force contract award to another firm for radio equipment, contending that the Air Force: (1) improperly evaluated both its technical and price proposals; (2) failed to conduct meaningful discussions regarding its deficient technical proposal; and (3) failed to provide adequate time for it to properly respond to questions during its product demonstration. GAO held that the Air Force: (1) properly evaluated the protester's proposal, since the protester failed to adequately demonstrate its understanding of the requirements; (2) properly informed the protester of its proposal's deficiencies; and (3) correctly evaluated the protester's price on the basis of the base and additive items it proposed. Accordingly, the protest was denied.