Protest Against Alleged Solicitation Deficiencies and Alleged Discrimination Against Small Business

A protester against a contract award contended that first article testing should have been required of the awardee, that the small price difference did not justify award to a less experienced bidder, and that the agency discriminated against small businesses. The protests based on the first two contentions were untimely since they were not filed prior to the closing date for receipt of proposals and involved alleged solicitation deficiencies. The protest based on the allegation of discrimination against small businesses was denied since the contracting officer could not determine that there would be reasonable competition to justify a small business set-aside.