[Protest of Air Force Contract Award for Automatic Parachute Release Testers]

A firm protested an Air Force sole-source contract award for automatic parachute release testers, contending that: (1) the Air Force unnecessarily restricted the procurement; (2) the urgent procurement was due to a lack of advance planning by the Air Force; and (3) it was entitled to reimbursement of its protest costs pursuant to its initial protest of the noncompetitive solicitation. GAO held that the: (1) Air Force reasonably determined that it had an urgent need for the testers and made award to the only known and qualified manufacturer of the items; (2) urgent procurement was not due to a lack of advance planning, but rather to the Air Force's attempts to open the procurement to competition; (3) protester was not prejudiced by the Air Force's waiver of precontract testing of the awardee's product, since its product failed to meet the Air Force's minimum requirements; and (4) protester was not entitled to reimbursement of its protest costs, since the Air Force promptly cancelled the protested solicitation. Accordingly, the protest and request for protest costs were denied.