Bidder protests e-recreation award

Spherix Inc. of Beltsville, Md., has filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office over the Agriculture Department's award to ReserveAmerica of the $128 million contract for the consolidated National Recreation Reservation System.

In a recent debriefing, Agriculture could not give a convincing rationale for passing over Spherix' proposal, which was for $32 million less, said Spherix President Thomas Gantt.

Under the contract, awarded last month, ReserveAmerica of Ballston Spa, N.Y., this year will develop a single, interagency federal recreation information and reservation service for the Forest Service.