Restriction of Prebid Conference and On-Site Visit to One Day Only

The protesters objected to the restriction of prebid conferences and on-site visits to 1 day only and to the award of the contract to an ineligible bidder. While failure to attend the prebid conference and site visit could not be made a basis for disqualifying the bidder, the restriction of those activities to 1 day only was not arbitrary or capricious since all bidders were supplied with substantially similar information. To allow separate visits on the procurement which involved 68 prospective bidders would have required an unreasonable expenditure of time by agency personnel. The limitation was not restrictive of competition where 13 bids were received, all bidders received adequate notice of the conference and on-site visit, and all bidders were treated equally and supplied with substantially similar information. The Small Business Administration's determination that the successful bidder was not a small business under a separate Army procurement, which was received by the Air Force subsequent to award, was properly not considered.