Decision Released: Uniformed Services University of the Health Science Professional Financial Support Services requirement

DIGEST

In a competition for a multiple award schedule task order, protest that the agency misevaluated the protester’s quotation and made an unreasonable source selection decision is denied where the evaluation and best-value tradeoff were reasonable and consistent with the solicitation.

DISCUSSION

Lynch’s protest challenges both GSA’s decision to take corrective action in response to 11th Hour’s earlier protest, and the resulting award to 11th Hour, arguing that the subsequent reevaluation of quotations was unreasonable and resulted in a flawed source selection decision.  We address these contentions in turn and, for the reasons discussed below, we find that none has merit.    Timeliness of Challenge to Earlier Protest and Corrective Action  The first ground of protest relates to GSA’s decision to take corrective action in response to 11th Hour’s protest of the original award to Lynch.  As noted above, 11th Hour challenged that award in a protest filed with our Office.  In that protest, 11th Hour argued that GSA had unreasonably evaluated and rejected its quotation, or alternatively that GSA had failed to provide meaningful discussions and improperly applied an ambiguous requirement when it rejected 11th Hour’s quotation.  Also as noted above, GSA took corrective action in response to that protest, resulting in our Office dismissing the protest as academic.  11th Hour Search, LLC, B-421713, June 9, 2023 (unpublished decision).  After completing the reevaluation, GSA selected 11th Hour’s quotation for award, which led to the current protest.   Lynch objects that 11th Hour was ineligible to file its earlier protest and that the corrective action, therefore, lacked a valid basis.  According to Lynch, because the original evaluation deemed 11th Hour’s proposal unacceptable, 11th Hour was not an interested party to file its protest and it was therefore improper for the agency to have taken corrective action in response to 11th Hour’s protest.  Lynch also argues that GSA  Page 5    B-421713.2; B-421713.3  failed to identify a flaw in the original evaluation and award decision that could justify taking corrective action.    Our Bid Protest Regulations contain strict rules for the timely submission of protests.  These rules reflect the dual requirements of giving parties a fair opportunity to present their cases and resolving protests expeditiously without unduly disrupting or delaying the procurement process.  Verizon Wireless, B-406854, B-406854.2, Sept. 17, 2012, 2012 CPD ¶ 260 at 4.  Under these rules, a protest based on other than alleged…

DECISION

Lynch Consultants, LLC, of Arlington, Virginia, a small business, protests the issuance of a multiple award schedule order to 11th Hour Search, LLC, of Falls Church, Virginia, also a small business, under request for quotations (RFQ) No. 47QFDA23Q0009, issued by the General Services Administration (GSA), Federal Acquisition Service, for professional financial support services for the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, in Bethesda, Maryland.  Lynch argues that GSA lacked a valid basis to take corrective action in response to an earlier protest, misevaluated the quotations, and made an unreasonable source selection decision.

We deny the protest.

See the decision here.

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