[Protest of Air Force Contract Award for Autopilot Systems]

A firm protested an Air Force contract award for autopilot systems, contending that the award was based on improper cost and technical evaluations. GAO held that the: (1) Air Force's life-cycle cost evaluation did not provide a basis for determining the probable ultimate cost to the government; (2) solicitation stated that prices for foreign military sales quantities would not be evaluated; and (3) Air Force properly gave the awardee a higher technical rating for exceeding the solicitation requirements. Accordingly, the protest was sustained and GAO recommended that the Air Force (1) reevaluate the bidders' cost proposals; and (2) reimburse the protester for its protest costs.