CSRA LLC

B-415171.3 Aug 27, 2018 Jump To VIEW DECISION DOWNLOADS RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights CSRA LLC, of San Diego, California, requests that our Office recommend that it be reimbursed the costs associated with filing and pursuing its protest (B-415171.2), which challenged the terms of the corrective action undertaken by the Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity. The corrective action was in response to CSRA's earlier protest (B-415171), which challenged the award of a contract by the Corps to C4Planning Solutions LLC (C4PS), of Blythe, Georgia, under request for proposals (RFP) No. M68909-17-R-7602, for technical support services. The protester argues that the protest, challenging the terms of the corrective action and the agency's motives for taking corrective action, was clearly meritorious and that the agency failed to take timely corrective action in response to that protest. We grant in part and deny in part the request. We grant in part and deny in part the request. 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:  CSRA LLC--Costs File:  B-415171.3 Date:  August 27, 2018 David M. Hibey, Esq., and Nathaniel Castellano, Esq., Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP, for the protester. Lisa L. Baker, Esq., United States Marine Corps, for the agency. Jonathan L. Kang, Esq., and Laura Eyester, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST 1.  Request that GAO recommend reimbursement of protest costs is granted where the agency unduly delayed taking corrective action in response to a clearly meritorious challenge to the agency’s earlier corrective action. 2.  Protester’s request that GAO recommend reimbursement of protest costs is denied where the protester’s argument that the agency’s earlier corrective action was an improper pretext to avoid a decision by GAO was not clearly meritorious. DECISION CSRA LLC, of San Diego, California, requests that our Office recommend that it be reimbursed the costs associated with filing and pursuing its protest (B-415171.2), which challenged the terms of the corrective action undertaken by the Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity.  The corrective action was in response to CSRA’s earlier protest (B-415171), which challenged the award of a contract by the Corps to C4Planning Solutions LLC (C4PS), of Blythe, Georgia, under request for proposals (RFP) No. M68909-17-R-7602, for technical support services.  The protester argues that the protest, challenging the terms of the corrective action and the agency’s motives for taking corrective action, was clearly meritorious and that the agency failed to take timely corrective action in response to that protest.  We grant in part and deny in part the request.  BACKGROUND The Corps issued the solicitation on May 19, 2017, seeking proposals to provide technical systems support for the Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity (MCTSSA).  Agency Report (AR) (B-415171.2), Tab 1, RFP, at 1; Performance Work Statement (PWS), at 2.  The contractor will be required to provide support for MCTSSA’s command, control, communications, computer, and intelligence (C4I) systems in the field in the areas of troubleshooting, issue resolution, tactical communications network analysis and diagnostics, maintenance, system engineering, technical support, configuration management, and over-the-shoulder training.  PWS at 2-3.  CSRA is the incumbent contractor for these requirements.  Protest (B-415171) at 3. The RFP anticipated the award of an indefinite-delivery, indefinite‑quantity contract, with fixed-price orders, for a base period of 6 months and four 1-year options.  RFP at 3, 32.  The RFP advised offerors that proposals would be evaluated based on the following three factors, listed in descending order of importance:  (1) technical, (2) past performance, and (3) price.  Id. at 52.  The technical factor had the following five equally-weighted elements:  (1) understanding and approach, (2) staffing, (3) transition plan, (4) technical approach scenario, and (5) small business management.  Id.  For purposes of award, the RFP stated that the non-price factors were “significantly more important” than price.  Id. The Corps received proposals from three offerors, including CSRA and C4PS, by the closing date of June 21.  The Corps notified CSRA on August 18 that C4PS had been selected for award of the contract.[1]  Contracting Officer’s Statement (COS) (B‑415171.2) at 3.