Scaletta Armoring

B-412302 Jan 14, 2016 Jump To VIEW DECISION DOWNLOADS RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights Scaletta Armoring, of Bedford Park, Illinois, protests the award of a contract to The O'Gara Group, of Fairfield, Ohio, under request for quotations (RFQ) No. D-15-SA-0058, issued by the Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), for three BMW X5 Series sport utility vehicles with Level C armoring. Scaletta challenges the evaluation of quotations and resulting source selection. We deny the protest. We deny the protest. View Decision Decision Matter of:  Scaletta Armoring File:  B-412302 Date:  January 14, 2016 Daniel Trainor, for the protester. James E. Hicks, Esq., Department of Justice, for the agency. Cherie J. Owen, Esq., and David A. Ashen, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST Protest challenging agency’s evaluation and tradeoff decision is denied where the agency reasonably concluded that awardee’s quotation offered several advantages that warranted the payment of the associated price premium. DECISION Scaletta Armoring, of Bedford Park, Illinois, protests the award of a contract to The O’Gara Group, of Fairfield, Ohio, under request for quotations (RFQ) No. D-15-SA-0058, issued by the Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), for three BMW X5 Series sport utility vehicles with Level C armoring.  Scaletta challenges the evaluation of quotations and resulting source selection. We deny the protest. BACKGROUND The Department of State maintains a list of the vendors authorized to armor vehicles to the Level C standards[1].  The list consists of four vendors, including Scaletta and O’Gara.  Contracting Officer Statement (COS) at 2.  The RFQ, issued on May 13, 2015 to the four vendors on the list, sought quotations for BMW X5 Series sport utility vehicles (SUVs) with Department of State (DOS) Level C armoring.  RFQ at 1-2, 6.  The RFQ provided for award on a best-value basis, considering the following four evaluation factors:  technical capability, delivery, past performance, and price.  RFQ at 4-5.  The non-price factors were significantly more important than price.  RFQ at 5. Under the technical capability factor, vendors were required to show that they understood the solicitation requirements and demonstrate their ability to meet all requirements of the statement of work.  As relevant here, the statement of work provided that “DEA requires a minimum 2 year, 24,000 mile warranty.”  RFQ at 14.  Under the delivery factor, the RFQ required that the “offeror shall provide a detailed proposed completion schedule.”  RFQ at 3. Two vendors--Scaletta and O’Gara--submitted quotations by the June 20, 2015 due date.  COS at 2.  Their quotations were evaluated as follows:   O’Gara Group Scaletta Armoring Technical Capability Exceptional Very Good Delivery Very Good Acceptable Past Performance Substantial Confidence [Substantial] Confidence[2] Price $601,896 $549,720 Agency Report (AR), Tab 4, Technical Evaluation, at 3; Tab 5, Memorandum to File, at 3-4. Under the technical capability factor, the evaluators found O’Gara’s warranty to be outstanding.[3]  AR, Tab 4, Technical Evaluation, at 3.  In contrast, the evaluators found that Scaletta’s quotation failed to meet the RFQ’s requirement for a 2 year, 24,000 mile warranty, RFQ at 14, and offered instead only a 2‑year/20,000 mile warranty.  AR, Tab 4, Technical Evaluation, at 4.  The evaluators further noted that while O’Gara’s quotation affirmatively represented that BMW’s original equipment manufacturer (OEM) warranty would continue to cover the vehicle after the modifications, Scaletta’s quotation did not provide a similarly unequivocal statement.  Id.