[Protest of NASA Rejection of Late Bid for Air Compressor Replacements]

A firm protested the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) rejection of its bid for air compressors as late, contending that NASA: (1) should have considered it for award, since it timely deposited its bid at the designated location and NASA could not prove otherwise; and (2) bid acceptance procedures were inadequate because they did not provide for issuance of receipts for bids delivered prior to bid opening. GAO held that: (1) NASA properly rejected the protester's bid as late, since it received the bid after bid opening; and (2) although NASA instituted a procedure of stamping deposited bids and furnishing receipts, it was not required by law to do so. Accordingly, the protest was denied.