Geonex Corporation, B-274390.2, June 13, 1997

B-274390.2 Jun 13, 1997 Jump To VIEW DECISION RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights DIGEST Protester was not prejudiced by the agency's waiver of a requirement in an architect-engineer competition that each vendor's participants in a photointerpretation live test demonstration. Have been employed by the vendor prior to a specific date. 1995. [1] Each unit was treated as a separate procurement. Were most qualified to perform the services. Oral presentations were conducted. The vendors' responses to the sample task orders and questions asked by the agency during its visits to the vendors' facilities were received. G&O was rated as the most highly qualified firm with [DELETED] out of 3. The agency further agreed that "[t]he photointerpretation live test demonstration will be limited to individuals listed in the parties' SF 254/255 forms originally submitted or in the employ of Geonex and G&O on March 1. View Decision Matter of: Geonex Corporation File: B-274390.2 Date: June 13, 1997 * REDACTED DECISION DIGEST Attorneys DECISION Geonex Corporation protests the award of a contract for architect-engineer (A-E) services to Greenhorne & O'Mara, Incorporated (G&O), by the Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior. We deny the protest. The agency placed an announcement in the Commerce Business Daily on May 16, 1995, seeking four "units" of services in support of the agency's effort to classify and map the nation's wetlands. The synopsis requested that interested firms submit Standard Forms (SF) 254 and 255 by June 16, 1995. [1] Each unit was treated as a separate procurement. This protest concerns the selection of a vendor for unit one--photointerpretation services. The agency received the requisite forms from four firms, and determined that three firms, including Geonex and G&O, were most qualified to perform the services. The agency provided each of these firms with a "statement of work" which further described the agency's requirements, "clarification questions" concerning certain aspects of the vendors' responses, and sample task orders to be completed by the vendors. The agency also scheduled site visits to the vendors' facilities, as well as photointerpretation live test demonstrations and oral presentations by the vendors. After the site visits, live test demonstrations, and oral presentations were conducted, and the vendors' responses to the sample task orders and questions asked by the agency during its visits to the vendors' facilities were received, the agency rated the vendors under an evaluation scheme consisting of 18 evaluation criteria and 38 subcriteria. G&O was rated as the most highly qualified firm with [DELETED] out of 3,910 points. Geonex received the next highest technical ranking of [DELETED] points, and the third offeror received [DELETED] points. Accordingly, the agency selected G&O for negotiations, and on August 12, 1996, after the completion of price negotiations, awarded G&O a contract for the photointerpretation services. On August 30, 1996, Geonex, the incumbent contractor for the photointerpretation services, protested the award of the contract to G&O. In that protest, Geonex challenged numerous aspects of the agency's evaluation and selection of G&O to perform the photointerpretation services, including the conduct and scoring of the photointerpretation live test demonstrations. The agency ultimately entered into a settlement agreement with Geonex, in which, among other things, the agency agreed to disregard the results of the sample task responses and photointerpretation live test demonstration, and to obtain new sample task responses and "[r]e-do all aspects of the photointerpretation live test demonstration." The agency also agreed that the total number of points allocated to the relevant evaluation criteria for the photointerpretation live test demonstration (1,200) and sample task responses (500) would remain the same. The agency further agreed that "[t]he photointerpretation live test demonstration will be limited to individuals listed in the parties' SF 254/255 forms originally submitted or in the employ of Geonex and G&O on March 1, 1996." Based on this agreement, Geonex withdrew its protest to our Office on November 16, 1996. By letter dated January 15, 1997, the agency informed Geonex and G&O of the schedules for their respective photointerpretation live test demonstrations.