[Protest of Proposed Air Force Contract Award for Engineering Support]

A firm protested an Air Force contract award to another firm for engineering support, contending that the Air Force improperly: (1) awarded the contract to a low, technically inferior bidder; and (2) conducted its cost-realism evaluation. GAO held that the Air Force's: (1) evaluation of the awardee's proposal was consistent with the solicitation's evaluation criteria; and (2) cost-realism analysis was reasonable, since it reviewed separate cost elements. Accordingly, the protest was denied.