Decision released in protest denial of Army National Guard Program Management, Transition Counselor, and Help Desk support services requirement

DIGEST

Protest challenging the agency’s evaluation of proposals and source selection decision is denied where the agency’s evaluation was reasonable, adequately documented, and consistent with the terms of the solicitation.

DISCUSSION

Gemini protests the Army’s evaluation of its technical proposal, challenging both the agency’s assignment of strengths and the resulting assigned adjectival rating of good.  For the reasons discussed below, we conclude that the protester’s allegations provide no basis on which to sustain the protest.

Assignment of Strengths

Gemini first challenges the Army’s evaluation as failing to properly credit the advantages presented by Gemini’s proposal in accordance with the RFP’s stated evaluation criteria.  Specifically, the protester alleges that the single strength assigned to its proposal for its recruitment and retention plan and identification of pre-qualified candidates for new positions under the transition plan area should have been evaluated as warranting multiple, separate significant strengths under multiple evaluation areas.  Protest at 3-5; Comments at 2-7.  The agency responds that its evaluation was reasonable and consistent with the RFP’s evaluation criteria.  COS/MOL at 16-24.

In reviewing protests challenging the evaluation of an offeror’s proposal, it is not our role to reevaluate proposals; rather, our Office examines the record to determine whether the agency’s judgment was reasonable, and in accordance with solicitation criteria and applicable procurement statutes and regulations.  Patriot Def. Group, LLC, B-418720.3, Aug. 5, 2020, 2020 CPD ¶ 265 at 7.  An agency’s judgment that the features identified in a proposal do not significantly exceed the requirements of the RFP or provide advantages to the government–and thus do not warrant the assessment of significant strengths–is a matter within the agency’s discretion and one that we will not disturb where the protester has failed to demonstrate that the evaluation was unreasonable.  Protection Strategies, Inc., B-416635, Nov. 1, 2018, 2019 CPD ¶ 33 at 8 n.4.  A protester’s disagreement with the agency’s assessment, without more, does not render the evaluation unreasonable…

DECISION

Gemini Tech Services, LLC (Gemini), a small business of Willow Park, Texas, protests the issuance of a task order to Management Analysis Technologies, Inc. (MAT), a small business of Fredericksburg, Virginia, under request for proposals (RFP) No. W15QKN-23-R-0041, issued by the Department of the Army for program management, transition counselor, and help desk support services for the Army National Guard (ARNG).  Gemini challenges the agency’s evaluation of proposals and the resulting source selection decision.

We deny the protest.

See the decision here.

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