Protest of FSS Contract Award

A company protested a purchase order award for dictation equipment under a Federal Supply Schedule contract, contending that it had the lowest priced system that met the agency's requirements. Agency evaluators had found that the protester had listed equipment in its proposal which could not meet several requirements and that substitution of the equipment would have made its system more expensive than the awardee's. Although GAO felt that the agency failed to provide an adequate statement of its needs, the protest was denied since the protester was unable to show that the requirement in dispute was other than bona fide.