[Protest of Specifications in USDA IFB]

A firm protested that certain specifications under a Department of Agriculture (USDA) solicitation for boilers were inadequate and unduly restrictive, contending that certain specifications: (1) did not adequately describe the agency's minimum needs; and (2) limited competition to one manufacturer. GAO held that: (1) since the protester admitted that it could meet some of the allegedly unduly restrictive specifications, it was not sufficiently interested to protest them; (2) since the protester admitted that it could not meet the allegedly inadequate specifications and could not qualify for award even if its protest succeeded, it was not sufficiently interested to protest them; and (3) the protester had failed to demonstrate that the remaining allegedly restrictive specifications lacked a reasonable basis. Accordingly, the protest was dismissed in part and denied in part.