Katmai Health Services, LLC

B-413816.3 Jul 12, 2017 Jump To VIEW DECISION DOWNLOADS RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights Katmai Health Services, LLC, of Anchorage, Alaska, protests the award of a contract to Arctic Slope Mission Services, LLC, of Beltsville, Maryland, under request for proposals (RFP) No. TIRNO-16-R-0006, issued by the Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), for services to support the agency's management of the seized and forfeited assets (MSFA) program. Katmai protests the agency's evaluation of Arctic Slope's proposed project manager. 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 redacted version has been approved for public release. Decision Matter of:  Katmai Health Services, LLC File:  B-413816.3 Date:  July 12, 2017 William K. Walker, Esq., Walker Reausaw, for the protester. Ethan E. Marsh, Esq., Damien C. Specht, Esq., and James A. Tucker, Esq., Morrison & Foerster LLP, for Arctic Slope Mission Services, LLC, the intervenor. Rachel G. Borden, Esq., Holly H. Styles, Esq., and Jonathan D. Tepper, Esq., Internal Revenue Service, for the agency. Pedro E. Briones, Esq., and Peter H. Tran, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, parcticipated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST Protest of the award of a contract is denied where the protester has not demonstrated that it was competitively prejudiced by the agency's improper evaluation of the awardee's proposed project manager. DECISION Katmai Health Services, LLC, of Anchorage, Alaska, protests the award of a contract to Arctic Slope Mission Services, LLC, of Beltsville, Maryland, under request for proposals (RFP) No. TIRNO-16-R-0006, issued by the Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), for services to support the agency's management of the seized and forfeited assets (MSFA) program.  Katmai protests the agency's evaluation of Arctic Slope's proposed project manager. We deny the protest. BACKGROUND The RFP was issued on June 28, 2016, as an 8(a) small business set-aside, and provided for the award of a fixed-price contract (for an 8-month base period, 3 option years, and a 4-month option period) for MSFA program support.  Agency Report (AR), Tab 4A, RFP §§ II.1.0(b)-(c); pt. II, Performance Work Statement (PWS), § 2; IV.2.  The solicitation stated that the contract would be awarded on a best-value basis considering price and the following weighted, non-price evaluation factors:  (1) technical/ management approach (40 percent); (2) relevant experience (30 percent); (3) quality control systems (15 percent); (4) past performance (10 percent); and (5) key personnel (5 percent).  Id. § V.11.  The RFP advised that the non-price evaluation factors, when combined, were significantly more important than the price factor.  Id.  Offerors were to submit separate technical and price proposal volumes.[1]  AR, Tab 4C, RFP amend. 2, § V.1. The sole issue here is IRS's evaluation of Arctic Slope's proposal under the key personnel evaluation factor, specifically, the evaluation of the awardee's proposed project manager.[2]  Offerors were to propose, among other key personnel, a project manager "technically qualified in all aspects of management and contract administration[,]" and provide a resume and references for the individual.  Id., § V.7.5; RFP § VI, attach. 3, Labor Category & Position Qualifications, § 27. The RFP required the following: The Project Manager must have a Bachelor's degree AND a minimum of five (5) years experience in the management, supervision and analysis of data/word processing operations.  These requirements may be substituted with a minimum of ten (10) years of relevant experience.[3] RFP § VI, attach. 3, Labor Category & Position Qualifications, § 27 (emphasis in original).  The RFP stated that the resumes and references of key personnel would be evaluated to determine the relevance of their skill levels, background, education, training, skills, and years of generalized/specialized experience in performing or managing the required effort.  RFP amend. 2, § V.7.5. IRS received proposals from Katmai and Arctic Slope (the incumbent) by the July 25 submission deadline.  Contracting Officer's Statement (COS) ¶ III.A; RFP amend. 2, at 2 (proposal due date).  Arctic Slope proposed its current MSFA project manager for that same position and listed three prior work experiences on her resume.  AR, Tab 6, Arctic Slope Tech. Proposal, at I-44-46.  Listed first on the resume was her recent experience as the current project manager, a position that she had held for 2 years and 7 months at the time that Arctic Slope submitted its proposal.  Id.