[Protest of Navy Contract Award Under Oral Solicitation]

A firm protested the award of a contract by a Navy activity to another firm, contending that the product required was not adequately described to permit intelligent competition on an equal basis. The procurement was conducted through an oral solicitation, because the Navy needed the product immediately so that a ship could meet its scheduled departure date. The protester complained that the part numbers specified by the Navy did not match drawings for the ship. The Navy attributed this problem to a recent overhaul of the ship and the unavailability of accurate drawings. GAO held that the misunderstanding was the result of a good faith, albeit mistaken, attempt by the Navy to obtain competition for a requirement that should have been met on a sole-source basis. Accordingly, the protest was denied.