[Protest of FAA Issuance of Purchase Order for Lease of Weather Display Systems]

A firm protested the Federal Aviation Administration's issuance of a purchase order for the lease of telecommunications equipment under a Federal Supply Schedule contract, contending that: (1) the agency failed to give it adequate time to prepare a quotation; and (2) the procurement should have been synopsized in the Commerce Business Daily (CBD). Federal regulations provide that an agency may not place an order in excess of $50,000 against a nonmandatory telecommunications schedule contract without publishing a synopsis in the CBD and soliciting competition from all vendors. GAO found that the agency failed to comply with the regulatory requirements and unreasonably excluded the protester from competition. The protester also requested reimbursement for the costs of filing and pursuing its protest, and GAO held that reimbursement was appropriate. Accordingly, the protest was sustained, the claim was allowed, and GAO recommended that the agency resolicit the requirement.