AllWorld Language Consultants, Inc.

B-411481.3 Jan 06, 2016 Jump To FULL REPORT VIEW DECISION RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights AllWorld Language Consultants, Inc., of Rockville, Maryland, protests the issuance of a task order to SOS International, Ltd. (SOSI), of Reston, Virginia, under request for quotations (RFQ) No. ID0415002, issued by the General Services Administration (GSA) to acquire, on behalf of the Department of the Air Force, linguistic support services to be performed in southwest Asia. AllWorld maintains that the agency misevaluated quotations, made an unreasonable source selection decision, and failed to engage in meaningful discussions with the protester. We sustain the protest. We sustain 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:  AllWorld Language Consultants, Inc. File:  B-411481.3 Date:  January 6, 2016 Justin A. Chiarodo, Esq., Harvey G. Sherzer, Esq., Stephanie M. Zechmann, Esq., and Philip E. Beshara, Esq., Dickstein Shapiro LLP, for the protester. Richard P. Rector, Esq., Daniel J. Cook, Esq., and C. Bradford Jorgensen, Esq., DLA Piper LLP- US, for SOS International, Ltd., an intervenor. Adrienne Bolton, Esq., General Services Administration, for the agency. Scott H. Riback, Esq., and Tania Calhoun, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST Protest challenging agency’s issuance of a task order to a firm under its Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contract is sustained where record shows that the task order was based on awardee quoting a labor category under its FSS contract that does not meet the requirements of the solicitation. DECISION AllWorld Language Consultants, Inc., of Rockville, Maryland, protests the issuance of a task order to SOS International, Ltd. (SOSI), of Reston, Virginia, under request for quotations (RFQ) No. ID0415002, issued by the General Services Administration (GSA) to acquire, on behalf of the Department of the Air Force, linguistic support services to be performed in southwest Asia.  AllWorld maintains that the agency misevaluated quotations, made an unreasonable source selection decision, and failed to engage in meaningful discussions with the protester.  We sustain the protest. BACKGROUND The RFQ contemplates the issuance, on a best-value basis, of a fixed-price task order to provide linguist services at various locations for a one-year base period and two 1-year options.  The RFQ also includes both base and optional quantities that the acquiring activity can purchase at any time during the life of the task order.  The competition was confined to firms holding federal supply schedule (FSS) contracts.  Firms were advised that the agency would evaluate quotations considering price, and two non-price factors, technical approach and past performance.[1]  RFQ Instructions and Evaluation Factors, at 4.  The RFQ further advised that technical approach was most important, past performance was second in importance, and price was third in importance.  Id. GSA received several quotations in response to the RFQ, including those submitted by AllWorld and SOSI.  The agency evaluated the quotations, provided firms with an opportunity to submit revised prices, and also engaged in limited exchanges with the vendors.  After receiving and evaluating the revised quotations, the agency issued a task order to SOSI on April 21, 2015.  AllWorld filed a protest in our Office, maintaining that the agency misevaluated quotations.  In response to that protest, GSA advised our Office that it intended to reevaluate quotations under the technical approach factor.  In light of the agency’s proposed corrective action, we dismissed AllWorld’s earlier protest as academic.  The agency reevaluated quotations and assigned the SOSI quotation high confidence ratings under both the technical approach and past performance factors.  The agency assigned the AllWorld quotation a significant confidence rating under the technical approach factor and a high confidence rating under the past performance factor.  Agency Report (AR) exh. 14, Selection Decision, at 14.  SOSI quoted a price of $17,441,318, while AllWorld quoted a price of $31,953,248.  Id.  The record also shows that SOSI quoted the lowest price among all firms.  Id.