[Protest of Air Force Rejection of Bid for Painting]

A firm protested the Air Force's rejection of its bid for painting and related services, contending that the Air Force improperly: (1) determined that its bid bond was unacceptable; and (2) rejected its bid as nonresponsive. GAO held that: (1) it was difficult to compare the protester's and the awardee's bid prices, since the solicitation did not include estimates for required work; (2) the Air Force reasonably calculated the differences between the protester's and awardee's bid prices; (3) the Air Force reasonably determined that the protester's bid bond was inadequate; and (4) the Air Force reasonably rejected the protester's bid as nonresponsive. Accordingly, the protest was denied.