[Protest of Navy Contract Award for Fork Truck Service Lifts]

A firm protested a Navy contract award for fork truck service lifts, contending that the Navy improperly accepted a nonresponsive bid. GAO held that: (1) the Navy properly conducted discussions with the awardee to determine if its equal product would meet brand-name requirements; (2) the solicitation did not require bidders to duplicate the brand-name item; (3) the Navy gave all bidders the opportunity to submit best and final offers; and (4) there was no evidence that the Navy arbitrarily concluded that the awardee's product would meet the solicitation's requirements. Accordingly, the protest was denied.