Competing for federal contracts is tough -- and protesting the award of a federal contract may be even tougher. But a ruling by a federal agency appears to have improved the ability of all vendors -- not just IT firms -- to utilize key legal channels for protesting the award of federal contracts. One of those channels is the General Accountability Office, which for decades has had the authority to rule on certain types of challenges to the award of federal contracts. These challenges include price, performance, and conformity with requirements.