[Protest of DOE Contract Award for Support Services]

A firm protested a Department of Energy (DOE) contract award for engineering and administrative support services, contending that DOE: (1) made an improper cost/technical tradeoff in selecting the awardee's higher-priced bid; and (2) used unstated risk factors to improperly steer the award toward the incumbent contractor. GAO held that: (1) DOE made a proper cost/technical tradeoff in selecting the awardee's higher-priced, technically superior bid; (2) DOE properly awarded the contract based upon stated evaluation criteria; and (3) the awardee's incumbency did not unduly influence the DOE award decision. Accordingly, the protest was denied.