Protester’s Products Required First Article Testing, Even Though Vendor Previously Produced Similar Items; GAO B-414392, Gichner Systems Group Inc.

Protest challenging the agency’s decision to award a sole-source contract is denied, where the agency reasonably determined that first article testing would be required, even though the protester had previously manufactured a similar item, and where the agency’s decision was not the result of poor planning, as the agency began its acquisition planning prior to the expiration of the previous contract, but a change in the nature of the requirement necessitated an extension of the agency’s procurement timeline.