[Request for Reimbursement of Bid and Protest Preparation Costs]

A firm claimed reimbursement for its bid and protest preparation costs pursuant to another bidder's sustained protest against an Army contract award, contending that the Army unreasonably excluded it from competition and failed to notify it of alleged deficiencies in its proposal. GAO held that: (1) the Army properly excluded the protester's bid from the competition, since the bid was technically unacceptable; and (2) since the protester failed to show that it was unreasonably excluded from competition, it was not entitled to reimbursement for its bid and protest preparation costs. Accordingly, the protest and claim were denied.