Knoll North America, Inc.

B-265863 Dec 21, 1995 Jump To VIEW DECISION RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights Protest that agency erred in calculating protester's weighted price for systems furniture is denied where agency's application of technical score for product line offered to accessory item prices was a reasonable interpretation of the evaluation formula set out in the solicitation and. Even assuming that the protester's contrary interpretation also was reasonable. The record shows that the protester was not prejudiced by the ambiguity. Was lower than Herman Miller's. Which was issued pursuant to the procedures established under General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Supply Schedule 71. Was lowest: Total Discounted Price x Technical Score [1] = Weight Factor Weighted Factor + Total Discounted Price = Initial Weighted Price for Supplies Design Cost + Installation Cost x Designer/Installer Score = Weight Factor for Design/Installation Weight Factor for Design/Install + Design Cost + Installation Cost = Initial Weighted Price for Services Initial Weighted Price for Supplies + Initial Weighted Price for Services = TOTAL WEIGHTED PRICE Offerors were instructed to designate their GSA contract numbers and the percentage discount off list pricing that they were offering. View Decision Matter of: Knoll North America, Inc. File: B-265863 Date: December 21, 1995 Protest that agency erred in calculating protester's weighted price for systems furniture is denied where agency's application of technical score for product line offered to accessory item prices was a reasonable interpretation of the evaluation formula set out in the solicitation and, even assuming that the protester's contrary interpretation also was reasonable, the record shows that the protester was not prejudiced by the ambiguity. Attorneys DECISION Knoll North America, Inc. protests the award of a purchase order for office furniture to Herman Miller Furniture, Inc. under request for quotations (RFQ) No. DTFA11-95-Q-00473, issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Knoll contends that the agency erred in calculating its weighted price, which, if properly calculated, was lower than Herman Miller's. We deny the protest. The RFQ, which was issued pursuant to the procedures established under General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Supply Schedule 71, Part II, Section E, sought quotations for 138 workstations, plus design and installation services, to outfit the FAA's Technical Operations Center at Denver International Airport. The RFQ provided for award to the vendor whose total weighted price, as arrived at through application of the following formula, was lowest: Total Discounted Price x Technical Score [1] = Weight Factor Weighted Factor + Total Discounted Price = Initial Weighted Price for Supplies Design Cost + Installation Cost x Designer/Installer Score = Weight Factor for Design/Installation Weight Factor for Design/Install + Design Cost + Installation Cost = Initial Weighted Price for Services Initial Weighted Price for Supplies + Initial Weighted Price for Services = TOTAL WEIGHTED PRICE Offerors were instructed to designate their GSA contract numbers and the percentage discount off list pricing that they were offering. Six quotations were received by the June 30, 1995, closing date. All vendors, with the exception of Knoll, designated one GSA contract number. Knoll designated two GSA contract numbers--GS 00F 5100A (its "Equity" line) and GS 00F 9000A (its "Morrison" line)--and two discount rates, one applicable to each contract. [2] All of the items that Knoll offered from contract 9000A were accessory items (i.e., paper trays, slanted sorters, telephone display shelves, pencil drawers, and accessory bars) from its KnollExtra Orchestra Collection of universal accessories; altogether, they accounted for less than 5 percent of Knoll's offered price for the workstation components. Knoll explained during the course of this protest that the reason it had offered the accessory items from a separate GSA contract was that as a result of a "product pruning" decision, it had stopped offering Equity paperwork management items commercially in January 1995. It had then, on March 14, submitted paperwork to the GSA National Furniture Center to delete the commercially discontinued Equity paperwork management products from its Equity systems furniture contract and to replace them with the Orchestra products that were already on its Morrison furniture systems contract. GSA did not issue the modification to the Equity contract until August 25, however--more than a month after the closing date for receipt of revised quotations under this RFQ. The contracting officer conducted written discussions with all offerors and requested revised quotations.