IJC Corporation

B-415388 Dec 19, 2017 Jump To VIEW DECISION DOWNLOADS RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights IJC Corporation, of Windham, New Hampshire, protests the award of a contract to NorCom Integrated System, Inc., of Destin, Florida, under request for quotations (RFQ) No. R17PS01020, issued by the Department of the Interior to supply and install a diesel backup generator. The protester argues that the agency unreasonably evaluated its quotation and made an unreasonable source selection decision. We deny the protest. We deny the protest. View Decision Decision Matter of:  IJC Corporation File:  B-415388 Date:  December 19, 2017 Peter Kashulines, IJC Corporation, for the protester. James L. Weiner, Esq., and Dana-Marie Akpan, Esq., Department of the Interior, for the agency. Joshua R. Gillerman, Esq., and Tania Calhoun, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST 1.  Protest challenging the agency’s evaluation of the protester’s quotation is denied where the record shows that the agency’s evaluation was reasonable and consistent with the solicitation and applicable statutes and regulations. 2.  Protest challenging the agency’s source selection decision selecting a technically superior, higher-priced quotation is denied where the record shows that the agency’s best-value tradeoff was reasonable and consistent with the terms of the solicitation. DECISION IJC Corporation, of Windham, New Hampshire, protests the award of a contract to NorCom Integrated System, Inc., of Destin, Florida, under request for quotations (RFQ) No. R17PS01020, issued by the Department of the Interior to supply and install a diesel backup generator.  The protester argues that the agency unreasonably evaluated its quotation and made an unreasonable source selection decision. We deny the protest. BACKGROUND The RFQ, issued on July 10, 2017, contemplated the award of a contract to supply and install a 650 kilowatt (kW) diesel backup generator for the Morrow Point Power Plant located on the Gunnison River in Gunnison, Colorado.  Agency Report (AR), Tab 3, RFQ at 39-41.  The RFQ incorporated Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clause 52.212-2, “Evaluation--Commercial Items,” which indicated that award was to be made to the firm whose quotation was most advantageous to the government, considering price and non-price factors.  RFQ at 21. The non-price factors that would be evaluated were:  technical capability, experience of manufacture and contractor, installation schedule, warranty, and price.  Id.  The RFQ further advised that technical capability, experience, and installation, when combined, were more important than price.  Id.[1] The agency received quotations from five vendors, including those from IJC and NorCom.  Contracting Officer’s Statement (COS) at 1.  After completing an initial review of quotations, the agency removed one vendor from the competition and notified the remaining vendors that their quotations were missing required documentation but that they could submit revised quotations by a revised submission deadline.  Id. The agency received revised quotations from all four vendors, including from IJC and NorCom.  Id.  After the agency completed an initial technical review, it revised the size specifications for the concrete pad on which the generator would be placed.  COS at 2.  The agency then updated the drawings contained in the RFQ and sent them to the four vendors in order to allow them to revise their pricing to compensate for the new size and position of the concrete pad.  Id.  All four vendors submitted revised quotations.  Id. The contracting officer, acting as the source selection authority (SSA), reviewed the quotations against the RFQ’s evaluation criteria.  AR, Tab 17, Technical Evaluation and Source Selection Decision (SSD) at 6-7.  The record shows that, of the four vendors, IJC quoted the lowest price of $345,990, while NorCom quoted the next lowest price of $352,358.  Both firm’s quotations were determined to be technically acceptable.  AR, Tab 17, Technical Evaluation and SSD at 6.  The agency found that NorCom’s quotation exceeded the RFQ’s requirements under the warranty factor because it offered a 2-year unlimited warranty and because its quoted generator conformed to the size specifications contained in the SOW.  Id. at 6.  Accordingly, the agency found NorCom’s quotation technically superior to IJC’s quotation, which quoted a larger generator than was specified in the SOW and met, but did not exceed, the RFQ’s minimum warranty requirement.  Id.  As the agency rated NorCom’s quotation technically superior to IJC’s quotation for the non-price factors, the agency made a best-value tradeoff decision.  Id.