Trimble Navigation, Ltd.

Trimble Navigation, Ltd. BNUMBER: B-271882; B-271882.2 DATE: August 26, 1996 TITLE: Trimble Navigation, Ltd. ********************************************************************** DOCUMENT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE A protected decision was issued on the date below and was subject to a GAO Protective Order. This version has been redacted or approved by the parties involved for public release. Matter of:Trimble Navigation, Ltd. File: B-271882; B-271882.2 Date:August 26, 1996 William W. Goodrich, Jr., Esq., Richard J. Webber, Esq., Alison J. Micheli, Esq., and Tenley A. Carp, Esq., Arent Fox, for the protester. Stan Hinton, Esq., and Paul W. Searles, Esq., Baker & Botts, for Rockwell International Corporation, an intervenor. Vera Meza-Dombkowski, Esq., and David H. Scott, Esq., Department of the Army, for the agency. Guy R. Pietrovito, Esq., and James A. Spangenberg, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST In a negotiated procurement for a hand-held global positioning system receiver, award could not properly be made to an offeror whose proposal did not demonstrate that it satisfied the solicitation's requirement for a nondevelopmental item. DECISION Trimble Navigation, Ltd. protests the award of a contract to Rockwell Collins Inc., under request for proposals (RFP) No. DAAD05-96-R-9011, issued by the U.S. Army Aberdeen Proving Ground Support Activity for the Special Operations Lightweight Global Positioning System Receiver (SOLGR). Trimble protests that Rockwell's offered receiver is not a nondevelopmental item (NDI), as required by the RFP. We sustain the protest. The global positioning system (GPS) is a space-based navigation system that provides military users worldwide with precise three-dimensional position, velocity, and time data. The standard Department of Defense hand-held, precise positioning service,[1] GPS receiver used by general purpose forces is the Precision Lightweight GPS Receiver (PLGR), which both Trimble and Rockwell have previously provided. U.S. Special Operations Forces, however, require enhanced performance, such as extended navigation features, multiple communications interfaces, and more rugged environmental capabilities, than is available in the PLGR. In response to this requirement, Trimble and Rockwell received separate, development contracts to develop prototypes of the SOLGR for use by Special Operations Forces. Pursuant to these contracts, Trimble and Rockwell developed separate prototypes of the SOLGR, which were delivered to the government for testing. The RFP here was for a limited competition between Trimble and Rockwell that would lead to the selection of the firm that would continue the SOLGR program into production. Fixed-price proposals were requested for three contract line items (CLIN): CLIN 0001 sought a fixed price for one lot of manufacture and testing of twenty SOLGR first articles; CLIN 0002 sought unit pricing for an estimated quantity of 1,000 receivers; and CLIN 0003 sought pricing for one lot of specified contract data. The contractor was required to deliver first articles and to complete first article testing within 240 days after contract award. The RFP included design and performance specifications for the SOLGR which, among other things, established stringent requirements for the size and weight of the receiver, battery performance, and environmental considerations--such as the ability to operate to depths of 33 feet. Offerors were requested to describe how they would meet each technical requirement and identify any specific requirement that may not be met. Offerors were also instructed that they may provide sample hardware "from mockups to fully functional prototypes." The statement of work (SOW) provided that the receiver must be an NDI. In this regard, the RFP incorporated by reference the standard "Definitions" clause stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) sec.