MFVega & Associates, LLC, B-291605.3, March 25, 2003

B-291605.3 Mar 25, 2003 Jump To VIEW DECISION RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights Protest of agency's proposed award of a sole-source contract for support and consulting services for a program management information system is denied where the record shows that the agency reasonably concluded that only one firm is capable of meeting the agency's needs. 2. Protest of alleged improper bundling of procurement requirements is denied where the record shows that the requirements that the protester contends should not be bundled are not. MFVega contends that the agency's determination that only one responsible source could satisfy the agency's requirements was flawed and the result of the improper bundling of requirements. Is intended to be the means by which agency employees manage all projects within the COE's three core mission areas: military programs. View Decision MFVega & Associates, LLC, B-291605.3, March 25, 2003 DIGEST Attorneys DECISION MFVega & Associates, LLC protests the proposed award of a contract on a sole-source basis to Primavera Systems, Inc., under request for proposals (RFP) No. DACA87-03-R-0005, used by the Army Corps of Engineers (COE), Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville (CEHNC), for support and consulting services in furtherance of the agency's program and program management information system 2 (P2) project. MFVega contends that the agency's determination that only one responsible source could satisfy the agency's requirements was flawed and the result of the improper bundling of requirements. We deny the protest. The P2 project represents a second-generation program management information system for the COE, and is intended to be the means by which agency employees manage all projects within the COE's three core mission areas: military programs, civil works, and environmental projects. Once complete, the P2 system is envisioned to provide agency project managers with quick and accurate information on all aspects of each project, including the cost of government personnel, scheduling information, and construction contract data pertaining to the project's procurement history. The P2 system will also replace the agency's existing system, PROMIS, which currently serves as the repository for most of the COE's project management information. The architecture for the P2 system consists of various commercial software products integrated in a manner so as to accomplish the agency's requirements. Specifically, the major components for the P2 system that the COE has selected are certain Oracle databases (i.e., Oracle Projects, Oracle Financial Analyzer, Oracle Discoverer, Oracle Tutor), and Primavera's Project Planner (P3e) and Primavision software. /1/ It is the integration of Primavera's P3e and Primavision software with the Oracle project management tools that will together form a fully operational project management information system. Contracting Officer's Statement at 1-2. The COE has previously conducted several procurements in furtherance of the P2 project. On September 22, 2000, the agency purchased approximately 5,000 P3e licenses from Primavera. /2/ The COE has also procured P3e software maintenance from Primavera. In July 2001, the COE awarded Primavera an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (ID/IQ) contract for consultant services for the design, development, and testing of the P2 system. The agency estimates that the developmental effort for the P2 project is approximately 60 percent complete. On October 15, 2002, the CEHNC posted a presolicitation notice on the FedBizOpps website, announcing its intent to award a sole-source contract to Primavera for various support services in furtherance of the P2 system project. Specifically, the presolicitation notice contemplated that Primavera would provide (1) annual maintenance of the licensed P3e and Primavision software; (2) training for approximately 25,000 COE employees on the P2 system at locations worldwide; and (3) support services for the completion of development, deployment, and maintenance of the P2 system. Agency Report (AR), Tab 1, Presolicitation Notice, Oct. 15, 2002, at 2. While the COE believed that only Primavera could provide these requirements, it solicited responses from other responsible sources for consideration. On October 22, MFVega submitted a proposal in response to the presolicitation notice, in an attempt to demonstrate its qualifications to support the P2 project. The COE ultimately determined that MFVega was not an acceptable alternate source for the agency's P2 project requirements here. On November 15, the COE issued an RFP to Primavera for P2 support and consulting services.