[Protest of Air Force Contract Award for Food Services]

A firm protested an Air Force contract award for food services, contending that the Air Force improperly: (1) required it to increase its price by increasing manning levels; and (2) refused to award it a contract on the basis of its initial bid. The protester also requested that GAO conduct an investigation of all proposals to determine if the Air Force treated all offerers fairly. GAO held that the: (1) Air Force did not require the protester to increase its price by increasing manning levels; (2) Air Force properly advised the protester of deficiencies in its manning levels; and (3) protester was not entitled to award, since its bid was neither low nor technically acceptable. GAO also held that it would not conduct an investigation to establish the validity of the protester's speculation about the Air Force's treatment of the offerers, since the protester had the burden of proving its case. Accordingly, the protest was dismissed in part and denied in part.