[Protest of Navy Negotiated Procurement of Mess Attendant Services]

A firm protested a Navy negotiated procurement for mess attendant services, contending that: (1) the Navy should have procured the services through sealed bids, as in prior procurements; (2) the use of negotiated procurement procedures for the acquisition of services that were neither complex nor unique was contrary to the intent of the Competition in Contracting Act of 1984 and the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR); and (3) a knowledgeable food service contractor could readily prepare a fixed-price competitive bid without negotiations. GAO held that: (1) the Navy properly determined to use negotiation procedures since discussions were necessary to ensure that offerers fully understood its service and staffing requirements; and (2) the protest was without merit since the act eliminated the statutory preference for formal advertising and the Navy met FAR requirements. Accordingly, the protest was denied.