Alion Science & Technology Corporation

B-410666 Jan 22, 2015 Jump To VIEW DECISION DOWNLOADS RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights Alion Science and Technology Corporation, of Fairfax, Virginia, protests the issuance of a task order to Engility Corporation, of Chantilly, Virginia under task order request for proposals (RFP) No. HDTRA1-14-WMD-0010, issued by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) for various services to support DTRA's Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) program, involving situational awareness systems integration. Alion challenges the agency's evaluation of both the protester's own proposal and Engility's proposal, as well as the agency's source selection decision. We deny the protest. We deny the protest. View Decision 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: Alion Science & Technology Corporation File: B-410666 Date: January 22, 2015 Robert E. Korroch, Esq., Williams Mullen, for the protester. Samantha S. Lee, Esq, Wiley Rein LLP, for Engility Corporation, the intervenor. Judith L. Richardson, Esq., Defense Threat Reduction Agency, for the agency. Gary R. Allen, Esq., and Christina Sklarew, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST 1. Protest that an agency applied unstated evaluation criteria in its evaluation of a protester’s proposal is denied where the record reflects that the challenged evaluation was premised on matters that were logically encompassed by the stated evaluation criteria. 2. Protest against an agency’s cost-realism analysis of the awardee’s proposal is denied where the record shows that the agency reasonably evaluated the awardee’s proposed costs, taking into account the awardee’s technical approach and individual cost elements. DECISION Alion Science and Technology Corporation, of Fairfax, Virginia, protests the issuance of a task order to Engility Corporation, of Chantilly, Virginia under task order request for proposals (RFP) No. HDTRA1-14-WMD-0010, issued by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) for various services to support DTRA’s Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) program, involving situational awareness systems integration. Alion challenges the agency’s evaluation of both the protester’s own proposal and Engility’s proposal, as well as the agency’s source selection decision. We deny the protest. BACKGROUND The agency issued the RFP on January 29, 2014, to seven firms that were awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (ID/IQ) research and development contracts that support DTRA’s mission as the Department of Defense’s source of research, development, and expertise with respect to weapons of mass destruction. Contracting Officer (CO) Statement at 2; Agency Report (AR), Tab 5, ID/IQ Statement of Objectives. The stated purpose for the task order was to provide management, engineering, and integration support for two programs currently being developed at DTRA to improve CWMD situational awareness: the Advanced Analytics Program (AAP) and the Global Knowledge Management Capabilities (GKMC) program.[1] RFP at 64.[2] The RFP contemplated the issuance of a cost-plus-fixed-fee task order that included a base research and development contract line item (R&D CLIN) with a 5‑year performance period, and an option for a cost-plus-fixed-fee operations and maintenance contract line item (O&M CLIN) with a 4-year performance period. RFP at 24, 27. The RFP provided that award would be made on a best-value basis, considering the following evaluation factors and subfactors: mission capability, which included the subfactors technical approach and management approach; relevant present and past performance; and cost. RFP at 43-46. The factors were listed in descending order of importance, and the non-price factors, when combined, were stated to be significantly more important than price. Id. at 43. The RFP also provided that the government intended to issue the task order without discussions. Id. For the technical approach subfactor under mission capability, the RFP required offerors to demonstrate a complete technical understanding and sound approach to accomplishing the scientific/technical complexities and scope of the statement of work (SOW). RFP at 44. Proposals were also to demonstrate the offeror’s complement of personnel with sufficient scientific and technical expertise to perform the SOW tasks, and listed particular areas of required expertise, including among those areas, as relevant here, chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high‑yield explosives (CBRNE).