A firm protested a Department of Education contract award to process the results of a postsecondary education institution survey, contending that the agency had: (1) unreasonably evaluated its proposal; (2) disregarded the protester's system developed in a pilot study for the agency; (3) failed to disclose its estimated number of required man-hours against which offers were evaluated; and (4) fail...

WHERE THE SOLICITATION ADVISES OFFERORS THAT TECHNICAL CONSIDERATION ARE OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE. 000 MORE HOURS OF EFFORT WAS REASONABLE NOTWITHSTANDING PROTESTER'S PROPOSED LOWER COST. OFFEROR REASONABLY WAS ON NOTICE THAT INCREASED NUMBER OF STAFF HOURS WOULD BE REQUIRED. OFFEROR WAS ADVISED DURING DISCUSSIONS OF CONCERN THAT ITS STAFF HOURS WERE LOW. COST REALISM ANALYSIS IS NOT SUBJECT TO OBJ...