[Protest Alleging Insufficient Proposal Preparation Time]

A firm protested that the time allowed between the issuance of a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration solicitation and the closing date for the receipt of proposals was too short to permit offerers to prepare adequate proposals. The protester also disputed the rejection of its proposal. Bid protest procedures require that protests based on alleged improprieties which are apparent prior to the closing date must be filed before that date. The protest was filed after the closing date and was untimely. Further, the bid rejection portion of the protest did not meet timeliness requirements. Accordingly, the protest was dismissed.