A firm protested an Air Force contract award for liquid cooler test sets, contending that, since it could manufacture the sets within the required timeframe, the sole-source award was improper. The Air Force had published notice of its intent to negotiate a sole-source contract with the awardee. However, the solicitation designated the procurement as unrestricted, and the protester submitted a pro...

CONTRACTS - NEGOTIATION - SOLE-SOURCE BASIS - PROPRIETY DIGEST: AGENCY DECISION TO AWARD A SOLE-SOURCE CONTRACT TO THE ONLY KNOWN QUALIFIED SOURCE IS PROPER WHERE AGENCY HAS NEITHER THE DATA NEEDED TO CONDUCT A COMPETITIVE PROCUREMENT NOR SUFFICIENT TIME TO QUALIFY A NEW SOURCE. AEROSPACE ASSERTS THAT THE SOLE SOURCE AWARD TO BOEING IS IMPROPER BECAUSE AEROSPACE IS CAPABLE OF MANUFACTURING THE TES...