[Protest of DOE Subcontract Award for Laser Measuring System]

A firm protested a Department of Energy subcontract award for a laser measuring system, contending that the prime contractor: (1) improperly determined its bid to be technically unacceptable based on a demonstration that the solicitation did not require; (2) improperly evaluated a product it did not offer; and (3) failed to consider the impact of the Buy American Act on bids. GAO held that the: (1) protest involved the protester's responsibility, not the technical acceptability of its bid; and (2) prime contractor reasonably found the protester to be nonresponsible, since there was a strong probability that the protester could not produce an acceptable product by the required delivery date. Accordingly, the protest was denied.