[Protest of Air Force Contract Award for Refuse Collection and Disposal Services]

A firm protested an Air Force contract award for collection and disposal services, contending that the Air Force conducted an unreasonable cost/technical trade off in selecting a higher-priced proposal. GAO held that the Air Force: (1) failed to evaluate the proposals in accordance with the solicitation's requirements, since price was approximately twice as important as past performance under the solicitation's evaluation scheme; and (2) did not sufficiently document its source selection decision. Accordingly, the protest was sustained, and GAO recommended that the Air Force: (1) perform and document a proper tradeoff analysis; and (2) reimburse the protester for its protest cost.