[Protest of Specifications in GSA IFB]

A firm protested the specifications the General Services Administration (GSA) used under an invitation for bids (IFB) for an alarm communication system. The protester contended that the specifications were ambiguous in that they left a significant part of the system design to the bidder, provided that the performance requirements were met, and failed to comply with regulations governing formally advertised procurements. Therefore, the protester contended that the IFB should be cancelled, and the procurement should be conducted through two-step formal advertisement or negotiation. Federal Acquisition Regulations require that the specifications used in a formally advertised IFB must be unambiguous and inform bidders of the minimum requirements of contract performance so that they may bid intelligently and based on equal information. Such specifications may be performance oriented, requiring bidders to devise approaches that will meet the government's performance requirements. GAO found that, in this case, the specifications provided an adequate frame of reference on which bidders could prepare their bids. Since the contractor would be responsible for providing a system that would satisfy the specification performance requirements, GAO found that the level of alleged uncertainty and risk in bid preparation was altogether acceptable. Accordingly, the protest was denied.