[Protest of USCG Contract Award for Steel Wire Rope]

A firm protested a Coast Guard contract award for steel wire rope, contending that the Coast Guard failed to investigate the awardee's obligation to supply only domestic end products. GAO held that: (1) the Coast Guard did not obtain any inconsistent information concerning the awardee's bid certification until after it awarded the contract; (2) there was no evidence in the awardee's bid that indicated its intention to supply a foreign item; and (3) although there was no legal basis to sustain the protest, the Coast Guard should verify the correctness of the awardee's certification that it would manufacture a domestic end product. Accordingly, the protest was denied.