Inventory Accounting Service, Inc.

B-271483 Jul 23, 1996 Jump To VIEW DECISION RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights Protest by incumbent contractor that solicitation for a requirements contract to provide washer and dryer services contains inaccurate estimated quantities is denied where the estimated quantities were reasonably accurate representations of the agency's anticipated future requirements. Allegation that solicitation for washer and dryer rental and maintenance services to be performed on a fixed-price basis is defective because it does not provide specific information needed to permit bidders. To calculate bids on an equal basis is denied as the solicitation contains descriptions about the scope and nature of services required. Bidders are responsible for projecting costs and allowing for risks in computing their bids. View Decision Matter of: Inventory Accounting Service, Inc. File: B-271483 Date: July 23, 1996 Protest by incumbent contractor that solicitation for a requirements contract to provide washer and dryer services contains inaccurate estimated quantities is denied where the estimated quantities were reasonably accurate representations of the agency's anticipated future requirements. Allegation that solicitation for washer and dryer rental and maintenance services to be performed on a fixed-price basis is defective because it does not provide specific information needed to permit bidders, other than the protester, to calculate bids on an equal basis is denied as the solicitation contains descriptions about the scope and nature of services required, thus providing a reasonable indication of what to expect under the contract. Bidders are responsible for projecting costs and allowing for risks in computing their bids. Attorneys DECISION Inventory Accounting Service, Inc. (IAS) protests the terms of invitation for bids (IFB) No. DAKF19-96-B-0003, issued by the Department of the Army for rental and maintenance of commercial washers and dryers in laundry rooms at Fort Riley, Kansas. IAS argues that the IFB is defective, precludes competition on an equal basis, and should be revised and clarified. We deny the protest. The IFB as issued on February 1, 1996, anticipated the award of a fixed- price requirements contract for a base year with up to 4 option years. The bid schedule advised prospective bidders that the contractor was to provide 434 washers and 457 dryers and unit prices were to encompass all elements of performance to be accomplished under each line item. The IFB included a detailed statement of work at section C, including the requirements for a full-time project manager, daily reporting for repair service calls and the penalty for failure to provide required washer and dryer service. The agency issued amendment Nos. 0001 and 0002 on February 1 and February 26, respectively, to include the new wage determinations, to amend various requirements, to answer questions submitted by prospective bidders, and to extend the bid opening date. Of relevance here is the deletion of the requirement for a "full-time" project manager. Prior to bid opening, IAS, the incumbent contractor, protested to the agency that the IFB overstated the quantity of washers and dryers needed, and challenged various IFB requirements on the grounds that they exceeded the agency's minimum needs. In order to consider the merits of the agency-level protest, the contracting officer issued amendment No. 0003 to again extend the bid opening date from March 7 to March 12. After reviewing the protest and conducting a face-to-face meeting with the protester, the contracting officer determined that further changes to the solicitation were not necessary and denied IAS' protest by letter dated March 8. The agency proceeded to open bids as scheduled on the March 12 extended bid opening date. Of the eight bids received, IAS' was the fourth low at $423,604.80. [1] Award was made to Wincor Management Group, Inc. on March 20 at its total bid price of $357,337.32. IAS' protest to our Office was filed on March 21. In its protest of the terms of the solicitation, IAS complains that the quantity of washers and dryers set forth in the IFB are overstated and not based on the best information available to the agency. In this regard, IAS alleges that as of March 8, it had submitted an invoice to the contracting officer for only 392 washers and 413 dryers, some 10 percent less than the stated IFB estimate of 434 washers and 457 dryers. Moreover, IAS states, the agency has scheduled at least eight more buildings (with a corresponding decrease of at least eight more pairs of washers and dryers) for demolition in 1996 and 1997. Thus, the protester insists that the estimated quantities in the solicitation were overstated which rendered the solicitation defective. As a general rule, a contracting agency must give sufficient detail in a solicitation to enable bidders to compete intelligently and on a relatively equal basis. Hero, Inc., 63 Comp.Gen.