Symtech Corporation

A firm protested a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) contract award for logistical support for science meetings, contending that the exclusion of its proposal from the competitive range was unreasonable. GAO held that the record failed to establish that the contracting officer had a reasonable basis for excluding the protester's proposal. Accordingly, the protest was sustained and GAO recommended that (1) HHS include the protester's proposal in the competitive range and reevaluate proposals; (2) if, as a result of the evaluation, the firm's proposal is determined to be the best value to the government, HHS terminate its contract with the awardee and make the award to the protester; and (3) HHS reimburse the protester for its costs of filing and pursuing the protest, including attorney's fees.