[Protest of Navy Contract Award, Determination of Contractor Responsibility, and Evaluation of Costs]

A firm protested a Navy contract award for the acquisition of an electric powerplant, contending that the awardee's bid did not meet the definitive responsibility criteria for experience as specified in the solicitation and that the Navy improperly calculated transportation costs. The awardee offered a 16-cylinder engine and cited experience with a 20-cylinder engine, which the Navy evaluated as having equal or higher brake mean effective pressure (BMEP). The protester questioned the Navy's evaluation of the 20-cylinder engine and the awardee's experience with the same engine model as it offered in its own bid. GAO found that the protester did not present any evidence that the Navy had improperly evaluated the BMEP of the 20-cylinder engine. However, since the solicitation specified that only experience on the same engine model was acceptable, GAO determined that the Navy erred in evaluating the awardee's experience. Accordingly, the protest was sustained, and a review of the Navy's calculation of transportation costs was no longer necessary. Since the contract had been substantially completed, GAO determined that corrective action would be too costly and would not be in the best interest of the Government.