[Protest Against U.S. Marshals Service Contract Award for Lease of Aircraft]

A firm protested a U.S. Marshals Service contract award for lease of an aircraft, contending that the agency should: (1) terminate the contract and resolicit the requirement, since it awarded the contract on the basis of an option period and a base period and the base period alone represented its actual needs; and (2) award it the contract, since it was low bidder for the base period. GAO held that the agency properly: (1) included the option period in the solicitation where it anticipated a need for the service after the base period; and (2) evaluated the bids on the basis of the base and option periods. Accordingly, the protest was denied.