[Protest of Proposed Contract Award Under Army RFP]

A firm protested the proposed award of an Army contract, contending that the Army improperly rejected its initial proposal as technically unacceptable. GAO noted that the awardee's proposal was too risky for what the Army envisioned and probably would not meet the Army's stated needs. Therefore, rejection of the proposal was not unreasonable. However, GAO noted that the protester's approach was based on the Army's misrepresentation of the procurement in a published version of the solicitation. The record indicated that, had the Army properly represented its desires, the protester would have approached the requirement that way. GAO held that, because the rejection left only one offerer in the competitive range, the protester should have been permitted to submit a new proposal. Accordingly, the protest was sustained and the Secretary of the Army was recommended to open negotiations consistent with this conclusion.