Updated June 21, 2024
DIGEST Protest that agency improperly excluded protester’s proposal from the competitive range is denied where record shows that the agency’s evaluation was reasonable and consistent with the terms of the solicitation.
DISCUSSION SAIC protests NASA’s evaluation of the protester’s mission suitability proposal, NASA’s evaluation of one of the proposals in the competitive range (referred to here as Offeror A’s proposal), and the competitive range determination.3 We have reviewed all of the protester’s arguments and find that none provides a basis to sustain this protest.
Preliminary Matters Before turning to the merits of SAIC’s protest, we address the agency’s request for summary dismissal, which NASA filed in response to SAIC’s supplemental protest and comments to the agency report. By way of background, in SAIC’s initial protest, the protester challenged multiple aspects of the agency’s evaluation of SAIC’s mission suitability proposal. Specifically, the protester argued that NASA failed to assign the protester’s proposal four strengths under the technical approach subfactor; challenged the weakness assessed under the same subfactor; complained that NASA should have assigned four strengths under the management approach subfactor; and alleged that the weaknesses and significant weaknesses assessed under the technical scenario video presentation subfactor were unreasonable. Protest at 19-36. Additionally, SAIC asserted that NASA improperly relied solely on point scores and adjectival ratings in making its competitive range decision. Id. at 17-18. In the agency report, NASA provided a detailed response to SAIC’s allegations regarding the assessment of strengths and weaknesses. Memorandum of Law (MOL) at 6-37; COS at 8-35. The agency also defended its competitive range decision, arguing that the contracting officer examined the point scores, adjectival ratings, and strengths and weaknesses identified in each proposal and exercised reasonable judgment in making the competitive range determination. MOL at 37-40; COS at 35-36. After receiving the agency report, SAIC raised two supplemental protest grounds. First, the protester asserted that NASA’s competitive range determination improperly relied on numerical scores and adjectival ratings, instead of considering the merits of the proposals. Comments & Supp. Protest at 2. Second, SAIC contended that the agency’s evaluation of Offeror A’s proposal was unreasonable because (1) the proposal should not have been rated as good under the management approach subfactor given Offeror A’s lower proposed cost/price, and (2) the agency’s cost realism analysis of Offeror A’s proposal was unreasonable because NASA failed to recognize the proposed cost was unrealistically low. Id. at 4-7. …
DECISION Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), of Reston, Virginia, protests the exclusion of its proposal from the competitive range under request for proposals (RFP) No. 80TECH23R0002, issued by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the maintenance of information technology (IT) systems, development of new applications, rationalization of duplicative efforts, and other functions. SAIC challenges the agency’s evaluation of its mission suitability proposal, NASA’s evaluation of one of the proposals in the competitive range, and the competitive range decision. We dismiss the protest in part and deny it in part.
Posted May 10, 2024
The lone known GAO protest filed in relation to this NASA requirement seeking enterprise IT and related services, to include information security; application, web, and platform services; information and data analytics; IT services for automation; and IT innovation for the Office of Chief Information Technology (OCIO) has been denied.
Protestor: Science Applications International Corporation
Solicitation Number: 80TECH23R0002
Agency: National Aerospace Solutions, LLC: National Aerospace Solutions, LLC
File number: B-422331.1
Outcome: Denied
Decision Date: May 10, 2024
Related
NASA’s Consolidated Applications and Platform Services (NCAPS) requirement
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