[Protest of MSC Exclusion of Proposal From Competitive Range]

A firm protested the Navy's exclusion of its bid from competition under a solicitation for litigation support services, contending that the Navy: (1) unreasonably determined that its work under a prior contract presented a conflict of interest; and (2) should have negotiated a noncompetitive contract with it, based on its previous work. GAO held that the Navy reasonably excluded the protester from competition, since its possible testimony concerning its prior contract presented an unacceptable risk. Accordingly, the protest was denied.