B-297381.5; B-297381.6, SI International, SEIT, Inc., July 19, 2006

B-297381.5; B-297381.6, SI International, SEIT, Inc., July 19, 2006 TITLE: B-297381.5; B-297381.6, SI International, SEIT, Inc., July 19, 2006 BNUMBER: B-297381.5; B-297381.6 DATE: July 19, 2006 ******************************************************************* B-297381.5; B-297381.6, SI International, SEIT, Inc., July 19, 2006 DOCUMENT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE The decision issued on the date below was subject to a GAO Protective Order. This redacted version has been approved for public release. Decision Matter of: SI International, SEIT, Inc. File: B-297381.5; B-297381.6 Date: July 19, 2006 Richard J. Vacura, Esq., Michael E. Anderson, Esq., Jonathan T. Linde, Esq., and Tim A. O'Brien, Esq., Morrison & Foerster LLP, for the protester. Richard P. Rector, Esq., David E. Fletcher, Esq., Eliza P. Nagle, Esq., Eric M. O'Neill, Esq., and Nancy O. Dix, Esq., DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary US LLP, for Datatrac Information Services, Inc., an intervenor. Mark A. Allen, Esq., and Joel R. Alvarey, Esq., Department of Homeland Security, for the agency. Sharon L. Larkin, Esq., and James A. Spangenberg, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST 1. In a competition conducted among vendors holding General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contracts, agency reasonably found that both the awardee and protester met the solicitation's requirements for an "emergency plan," where both plans adequately addressed the objectives and requirements of the solicitation and both vendors included the price for the plan in their quotations. 2. Discussions that were part of the agency's implementation of limited corrective action were not unfair, where the issues raised during discussions reasonably addressed the procurement flaws identified by GAO in a prior protest, and the agency raised with the vendors areas of weakness in their quotations; agency was not required to raise with the protester features that were identified as strengths, even where the agency considered them only to be of "limited value." 3. Source selection decision was reasonable, where agency selected the lower priced quotation between two vendors whose quotations were reasonably found to be technically equal. DECISION SI International, SEIT, Inc. (SI) protests the award of a blanket purchase agreement (BPA) and "first call" to Datatrac Information Services, Inc. (Datatrac), issued by the Department of Homeland Security, United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), under request for quotations (RFQ) No. HSSCCG-05-Q-0020 for records digitization services. We deny the protest. BACKGROUND Currently, over 84 million "Alien Files" (A-files) are maintained and distributed among the National Record Center and various USCIS facilities. Performance Work Statement (PWS) para. 1. When USCIS personnel need to locate information from an A-file not located in their office, they query the National File Tracking System (NFTS) or other tracking and indexing system to locate the file and request personnel at that location to physically mail either the A-file or a copy of it. As part of an overall estimated $150 million digitization effort to significantly reduce paper-based processes at USCIS, the USCIS has a need for a contractor to provide electronic access to all A-file data. RFQ sections 1, 2.4; PWS para. 1. The RFQ sought to award a BPA to a contractor to provide a variety of records management services as part of this digitization effort. Work performed through the BPA will be ordered as "calls" on either a fixed-price or time-and-materials basis, depending on the nature of the call. RFQ sect. 2.7. The "first call," which is at issue in this protest, was issued on a fixed-price basis and included the following records management services: (1) maintain a "contractor owned-contractor operated" facility in accordance with National Archives and Records Administration standards to process and scan A-files, (2) arrange a delivery system for the A-files to be transferred between facilities, (3) scan and index paper A-files and related documents into a digitized format, and (4) provide and maintain a temporary file storage solution of digitized files in a format approved by the government and accessible to USCIS customers. PWS paras. 1, 12.2. The A-files to be processed for the first call included alien registration files, "I-485" forms, certificate files, master index files, "flex-o-line" files, and historical files, with the understanding that this list of file types would be expanded in later calls as processes and technologies became more fully defined. Id. para. 1.