Palantir USG Inc

B-412746 May 18, 2016 Jump To VIEW DECISION DOWNLOADS RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights Palantir USG, Inc., located in Palo Alto California, challenges the terms of request for proposals (RFP) No. W56KGY-16-R-0001, issued by the Department of the Army, Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, for engineering, manufacturing, and development services in support of the Army's Distributed Common Ground System-Army Increment 2 (DCGS-A2) requirement. Palantir argues that the agency failed to implement the statutory and regulatory preference for the acquisition of commercial items, resulting in a solicitation that unduly restricts competition. 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 version has been approved for public release. Decision Matter of:  Palantir USG, Inc. File:  B-412746 Date:  May 18, 2016 David E. Fletcher, Esq., Christopher J. Kimball, Esq., Erin M. Estevez, Esq., and Thomas O. Mason, Esq., Cooley LLP, for the protester. Debra J. Talley, Esq., and David White, Esq., Department of the Army, for the agency. K. Nicole Willems, Esq., and Jennifer D. Westfall-McGrail, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST Protest that agency failed to implement the statutory and regulatory preference for the acquisition of commercial items, resulting in a solicitation that unduly restricts competition by offerors of commercial items that could partially meet the requirements of the solicitation, is denied where the agency conducted adequate market research into the use of commercial items and had a reasonable basis for its acquisition approach. DECISION Palantir USG, Inc., located in Palo Alto California, challenges the terms of request for proposals (RFP) No. W56KGY-16-R-0001, issued by the Department of the Army, Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, for engineering, manufacturing, and development services in support of the Army’s Distributed Common Ground System-Army Increment 2 (DCGS-A2) requirement.  Palantir argues that the agency failed to implement the statutory and regulatory preference for the acquisition of commercial items, resulting in a solicitation that unduly restricts competition.  We deny the protest. BACKGROUND On December 23, 2015, the agency issued the RFP, in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) part 15 procedures.  RFP at 1-2.  The RFP contemplates the award of a single indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract, with the simultaneous issuance of a cost-reimbursement type task order.  RFP at 2.  The solicitation seeks a single contractor to be the system data architect, developer, and integrator of DCGS‑A2, which is the second increment of the DCGS‑A.  DCGS-A is the Army’s primary system for the processing and dissemination of multi-sensor intelligence and weather information to the warfighter.[1]  Agency Report (AR), Tab V, Performance Work Statement (PWS), at 10-11.  DCGS-A is intended to combine all intelligence software/hardware capabilities within the Army into one program with the ability to access and be accessed by, not only Army intelligence and command components, but also the other members of the broader distributed common ground/surface system.[2]  It is composed of many software products--commercial, government, and open source--as well as software integration that allows all the different products and components to communicate and operate seamlessly.  Agency’s Post-Hearing Comments at 3.  DCGS-A Increment 1 (DCGS-A1) is currently deployed worldwide in support of intelligence operations in all theaters of operations.  AR, Tab V, PWS, at 11.  With regard to DCGS-A2, the PWS explains that the successful offeror will be responsible for, among other things, the development of new data architecture; standards based enhanced visualization and analytical tools; cloud computing and big data analytic capabilities; cyber analytics and data integration; visualization capabilities; cyber operations; interoperability counter intelligence/human intelligence; signals intelligence; weather; geospatial intelligence; and sensor management.  Id.