[Protest of Terms of Air Force RFP]

A firm protested the terms of an Air Force request for proposals (RFP) on the ground that the terms precluded full and open competition. The protester also requested that the sole-source incumbent contractor be excluded from the competition because it had a significant competitive advantage. The protester contended that the Competition in Contracting Act authorizes the exclusion of a particular source from a procurement in order to establish or maintain an alternate source of supply. Since the subject RFP was issued before the effective date of the act, there was no authority for the Air Force to exclude the incumbent contractor from the procurement. Accordingly, because the protester failed to state a valid basis for protest, the protest was dismissed.