[Protest of Air Force Contract Award for Inflatable Rescue Boats]

A firm protested an Air Force contract award contract award for inflatable rescue boats, contending that the Air Force: (1) improperly rejected its alternate equal bid; and (2) should have waived its minor deviations from the solicitation's brand name specifications, since the deviations did not affect the product's ability to meet the solicitation's performance requirements. GAO held that the Air Force properly rejected the protester's bid as unacceptable, since the protester failed to establish that the deviations from the solicitation's brand name specifications in its bid: (1) were minor and could not be waived; and (2) would not adversely affect the product's performance. Accordingly, the protest was denied.