[Protests of Air Force Rejection of Bids for Repair and Maintenance Projects]

A firm protested the rejection of its bids under Air Force solicitations for repair and construction projects. The Air Force rejected the protester's bids because it found that the bid bonds were deficient. The Air Force found that the individual sureties the protester proposed had pledged the same assets under a number of additional solicitations which they had not disclosed on the affidavits submitted with the bids. The protester contended that: (1) the individual sureties would disclose all obligations on which they were low and where an award was anticipated; and (2) no disclosure was necessary for solicitations where it was not in line for award. GAO found that the protester's sureties did not fully disclose all other bonds on which they were sureties. GAO determined that: (1) in order to enable the contracting agency to make a determination concerning the surety's financial soundness, a surety must disclose all other bond obligations regardless of the actual risk of liability on those obligations; and (2) the Air Force properly rejected the protester's sureties for their nondisclosure. Accordingly, the protests were denied.