ABSG Consulting, Inc.

B-413155.4 Aug 30, 2016 Jump To VIEW DECISION DOWNLOADS RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights Grant Thornton, LLC, of Alexandria, Virginia, protests its elimination from consideration under request for proposals (RFP) No. GS02Q15CRR0001 (frequently referred to as the Human Capital and Training Solutions (HCaTS) solicitation) issued by the General Services Administration (GSA) to provide training and development services across the federal government. Grant Thornton asserts that the elimination of its proposal was improper. 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. The entire decision has now been approved for public release. Decision Matter of:  Grant Thornton, LLC File:  B-413155.4 Date:  August 30, 2016 Alexander J. Brittin, Esq., Brittin Law Group, PLLC, for the protester. Kristen M. Nowadly, Esq., and Christopher Murphy, Esq., General Services Administration, for the agency. Glenn G. Wolcott, Esq., and Christina Sklarew, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST Where solicitation required offerors to submit a particular document, warning that failure to submit that document as directed could result in exclusion from further consideration, the agency reasonably eliminated protester’s proposal from consideration where protester failed to submit the required document. DECISION Grant Thornton, LLC, of Alexandria, Virginia, protests its elimination from consideration under request for proposals (RFP) No. GS02Q15CRR0001 (frequently referred to as the Human Capital and Training Solutions (HCaTS) solicitation) issued by the General Services Administration (GSA) to provide training and development services across the federal government.[1]  Grant Thornton asserts that the elimination of its proposal was improper.  We deny the protest.  BACKGROUND On August 17, 2015, the agency published the solicitation at issue, seeking proposals for “customized training and development services, customized human capital strategy services, and customized organizational performance improvement services.”  RFP at 21.  The solicitation contemplated multiple awards of indefinite‑delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contracts under which task orders will subsequently be issued.  The solicitation covered eight North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes, and was divided into two separate “Pools” based on different small business size standards.[2]  RFP at 98-99.  Offerors were permitted to compete in either of the pools, and the agency established a target of 40 awards for each pool.  Id. at 98, 152. The solicitation provided for award on a best-value basis,[3] established various minimum requirements, and identified certain documents that must be submitted.  Among other things, the solicitation provided that offerors must submit their proposed prices on solicitation attachment J.7, which was a “Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet” that “populate[d] the fully burdened ceiling rates” for the base performance period and automatically calculated the rates for each subsequent performance period based on an “escalation factor embedded in the spreadsheet.”  RFP at 149.  Prior to the due date for submission of proposals, several offerors notified the agency that the initial version of attachment J.7 (referred to as the “Amendment 00 version” of J.7), was not functioning properly.  Accordingly the agency amended the solicitation, issuing a revised attachment J.7 with RFP amendment 01, and stated:  “Attachment J.7 . . . AMENDMENT 01 WILL ONLY BE ACCEPTED.”  AR, Tab 7a, RFP Amendment 01, at 8 (capitalization in original); see also RFP at 111.  The solicitation further warned that the failure to provide, or the alteration of, attachment J.7 “may result in the proposal being rejected as being non-conforming.”  RFP at 149.  Finally, the solicitation stated that, “[t]he Government intends to strictly enforce all of the proposal submission requirements.”  Id.