LED Lighting Solutions, LLC

B-416127 May 09, 2018 Jump To VIEW DECISION DOWNLOADS RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights LED Lighting Solutions, LLC, of Berlin, Connecticut, protests the award of a contract to Van Meter Industrial, Inc., of Des Moines, Iowa, under request for quotations (RFQ) No. W912LP-18-P-8011, issued by the Department of the Army, Iowa Air National Guard, to procure light-emitting diode (LED) lights for the munitions storage area of the Iowa Air National Guard Base in Des Moines, Iowa. The protester argues that it should have received award because it submitted a lower-priced quotation than the awardee and its quoted product exceeded the solicitation's brand name or equal specifications. We deny the protest. We deny the protest. View Decision Decision Matter of:  LED Lighting Solutions, LLC File:  B-416127 Date:  May 9, 2018 Tom DeSantos, for the protester. Jason W. Allen, Esq, and Scott N. Flesch, Esq., Department of the Army, 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 Protest challenging the agency’s rejection of vendor’s quotation is denied where the record shows that the rejection was reasonable and consistent with the solicitation and applicable statutes and regulations. DECISION LED Lighting Solutions, LLC, of Berlin, Connecticut, protests the award of a contract to Van Meter Industrial, Inc., of Des Moines, Iowa, under request for quotations (RFQ) No. W912LP-18-P-8011, issued by the Department of the Army, Iowa Air National Guard, to procure light-emitting diode (LED) lights for the munitions storage area of the Iowa Air National Guard Base in Des Moines, Iowa.  The protester argues that it should have received award because it submitted a lower-priced quotation than the awardee and its quoted product exceeded the solicitation’s brand name or equal specifications. We deny the protest. BACKGROUND The RFQ was issued on January 23, 2018, as a small business set-aside under the streamlined acquisition procedures of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) subpart 12.6.  Agency Report (AR), Tab 3, RFQ at 2.  The basis for award was price, provided the quoted LED lights satisfied the minimum specifications listed in the RFQ.  Id.  The RFQ provided examples of brand name LED lights that would be acceptable but noted that equivalent LED lights would also be acceptable, provided they met the minimum requirements delineated in the RFQ.  Id. at 42.  Relevant here, the RFQ listed minimum specifications for three separate contract line item numbers (CLINs), corresponding to three different types of lights being procured by the agency.  RFQ at 2; 41-69.  CLINs 0001 and 0002 collectively required 19 “type two” LED lights.[1]  AR, Tab 7, RFQ amend. 3, at 71.  CLIN 0003 sought two “type three” LED lights.  Id.  Additionally, all of the lights quoted under each CLIN were required to have a minimum “glare rating” of two.[2]  RFQ at 48, 56, 64.  The agency notes that the type of light output, and compliance with the prescribed BUG rating, see infra, n.2, were critical requirements due to the base’s proximity to a runway of the Des Moines International Airport.  AR, Tab 2, COSF, at 3.  The lights also had to comply with the standards of the Unified Facility Codes (UFC).  RFQ at 42.  Pursuant to the UFC, lights located near an airfield may not exceed a glare rating of two to prevent interference with pilot vision.  AR, Tab 8, UFC 3-530-01, paragraph 4-9. The protester submitted its quotation on February 1, at a price of $29,392.  AR, Tab 9, at 1.  After performing an initial technical review of the protester’s quotation, the agency sent the protester an email asking it to clarify the types of LED lights it was quoting, as well the lights’ glare ratings.  AR.