Page limits are not suggestions

A solicitation for "hazardous waste services" had a two-page limit for a "safety narrative." During proposal revisions, the protestor's safety narrative ended up being four pages, and the agency ignored the new content. As a result, the proposal was deemed unacceptable. On protest, the vendor claimed that the agency made numerous errors that were largely attributable from the proposal going over the limit. Still, GAO found that, while the protestor's "error may have been inadvertent, it does not reflect, as the protester claims, that the firm was misled or confused by the 'evaluation notice.'" And because the proposal went over the page limit, the protest was denied.

GAO: Landscape Management System, Inc., B-423523.5,B-423523.6 (Jan 23, 2026)