[Protest of VA Rejection of Bid as Nonresponsive]

A firm protested the Veterans Administration's (VA) rejection of its bid as nonresponsive and award of a contract to another firm under a solicitation for bed pads, contending that: (1) although its bid sample did not meet the required size specifications, it submitted the sample to show the quality of materials and workmanship, rather than size; and (2) VA improperly rejected its bid based solely on the sample size. GAO held that VA: (1) properly rejected the protester's bid, since its sample size did not meet the solicitation requirement; and (2) could not waive its sample requirements for the protester. Accordingly, the protest was denied.