[Protest of Navy Award of Two Delivery Orders for Image Analysis System]

A firm protested two Navy contract awards to other firms for a digital image analysis system, contending that the Navy: (1) improperly evaluated its proposal and found that the proposal was technically unacceptable; (2) failed to conduct meaningful discussions; (3) changed its requirements during discussions; and (4) failed to provide it with written notice of the awards. The protester also claimed reimbursement for bid and protest preparation costs. GAO held that: (1) the protester provided no evidence to support its contention that the Navy incorrectly evaluated its proposal; (2) the Navy was not required to conduct discussions because the rejection resulted from a deficiency that did not become apparent until the protester submitted its best and final offer; (3) there was no evidence that the awardees offered a system that did not comply with the solicitation requirements; (4) the Navy's failure to provide written notice of the award was a procedural matter which did not affect the validity of the award; and (5) given the failure of the protest, the claim was without merit. Accordingly, the protest and claim were denied.