APT Research, Inc.

B-413731.2 Apr 03, 2017 Jump To VIEW DECISION DOWNLOADS RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights A-P-T Research, Inc., of Huntsville, Alabama, a small business, protests the award of a contract to Alphaport, Inc., of Cleveland, Ohio, also a small business, under request for proposals (RFP) No. NNK16567219R, issued by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), for various support services. A-P-T argues that NASA misevaluated Alphaport's proposal, failed to conduct a reasonable cost realism analysis, failed to mitigate or avoid an organizational conflict of interest (OCI) posed by Alphaport's major subcontractor, and made an unreasonable source selection decision. 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:  A-P-T Research, Inc. File:  B-413731.2 Date:  April 3, 2017 J. Dale Gipson, Esq., Tracy A. Marion, Esq., and Katherine E. McGuire, Esq., Lanier Ford Shaver & Payne PC, for the protester. Jonathan T. Williams, Esq., Patrick T. Rothwell, Esq., Julia Di Vito, Esq., and Ambika J. Biggs, Esq., Piliero Mazza PLLC, for Alphaport, Inc., the intervenor. Brian M. Stanford, Esq., Victoria H. Kauffman, Esq., and Tracy Lee Belford, Esq., National Aeronautics and Space Administration, for the agency. Paul N. Wengert, Esq., and Tania Calhoun, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST 1.  Protest that agency misevaluated awardee’s proposal under the mission suitability factor and the cost realism assessment is sustained where non-incumbent awardee proposed high retention rate for incumbent employees, agency determined that awardee’s proposed professional compensation was at low end of the experience and compensation scales used for evaluation, and contemporaneous record lacked a reasoned basis for finding awardee’s professional compensation or proposed costs to be acceptable or realistic.  2.  Protest that agency failed to reasonably analyze a potential impaired objectivity organizational conflict of interest (OCI) posed by the awardee’s major subcontractor, and the awardee’s proposed OCI mitigation plan, is sustained where the contemporaneous record reflected only pre-solicitation analysis of the potential for OCIs, and lacked any documentation to support the agency’s argument that the evaluation of proposals had assessed the OCI and found the awardee’s proposed mitigation plan to be sufficient.  DECISION A-P-T Research, Inc., of Huntsville, Alabama, a small business, protests the award of a contract to Alphaport, Inc., of Cleveland, Ohio, also a small business, under request for proposals (RFP) No. NNK16567219R, issued by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), for various support services.  A‑P‑T argues that NASA misevaluated Alphaport’s proposal, failed to conduct a reasonable cost realism analysis, failed to mitigate or avoid an organizational conflict of interest (OCI) posed by Alphaport’s major subcontractor, and made an unreasonable source selection decision.  We sustain the protest.  BACKGROUND NASA issued the RFP on January 22, 2016, seeking proposals from small businesses to provide a variety of safety and mission assurance support services (SMASS),[1] principally mission assurance, engineering, and risk assessment.  RFP attach. J‑01, Performance Work Statement (PWS), at 2.  The PWS organized the requirements into general areas, which were contract/program management, technical integration, plus seven technical disciplines:  safety and reliability engineering and assurance, quality engineering and assurance, software safety and assurance, range safety, independent assessments, meteorology and calibration support activities, and expendable launch vehicle payload safety program.  Id. at 2‑16.  The RFP also noted that the services would include reviewing the work of other contractors and NASA organizations on existing and future programs.  Id.