[Protest of Air Force Rejection of Bid for Asbestos Removal]

A firm protested the Air Force's rejection of its bid for asbestos removal, contending that the Air Force: (1) improperly determined that its company check was an unacceptable bid guarantee; (2) improperly cancelled the solicitation after bid opening and resolicited on an unrestricted basis; and (3) should reimburse it for its protest costs. GAO held that: (1) the Air Force properly rejected the protester's bid as nonresponsive, since uncertified personal and company checks were not acceptable bid guarantees; (2) the Air Force reasonably resolicited on an unrestricted basis, since it did not receive any responsive bids under the small-disadvantaged-business set-aside; and (3) there was no legal basis for recovery of protest costs. Accordingly, the protest and claim were denied.