Chloeta Fire, LLC

B-416448 Jul 17, 2018 Jump To VIEW DECISION DOWNLOADS RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights Chloeta Fire, LLC, of Midwest City, Oklahoma, protests the establishment of blanket purchase agreements with multiple other firms under request for quotations (RFQ) No. 12024B18Q0005, issued by the Department of Agriculture, Forest Service for wildland fire photography and videography services. Chloeta alleges that the agency unreasonably evaluated its quotation. 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:  Chloeta Fire, LLC File:  B-416448 Date:  July 17, 2018 Steven J. Koprince, Esq., Matthew P. Moriarty, Esq., Shane J. McCall, Esq., and Nicole D. Portroff, Esq., Koprince Law, LLC, for the protester. Stuart Palley, for Stuart Palley Photography; Kari Greer, for Kari Greer Photography; Dave Mills, for Dave Mills Photography; and Kristen Honig, sole-proprietor, the intervenors. Elin M. Dugan, Esq., Department of Agriculture, for the agency. Todd C. Culliton, Esq., and Tania Calhoun, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST 1.  Protest that the agency applied unstated evaluation criteria is denied where the record shows that the solicitation's terms contemplated an evaluation of each vendor's experience based on whether it had previously provided similar services. 2.  Protest that the agency unreasonably evaluated the firm's experience is denied where the record shows that agency reasonably did not consider the experience of the firm's project manager and post production manager. 3.  Protest that the agency unreasonably evaluated the firm's quotation is denied where the record shows that protester's past performance information was not similar in type, scope, or complexity to the instant acquisition. DECISION Chloeta Fire, LLC, of Midwest City, Oklahoma, protests the establishment of blanket purchase agreements with multiple other firms under request for quotations (RFQ) No. 12024B18Q0005, issued by the Department of Agriculture, Forest Service for wildland fire photography and videography services.  Chloeta alleges that the agency unreasonably evaluated its quotation. We deny the protest. BACKGROUND The RFQ, issued on March 13, 2018, contemplated the establishment of multiple blanket purchase agreements to be performed over a 1-year base period, four 1-year option periods, and a 6-month extension period.  Agency Report (AR), Tab 13, Amended RFQ at 5, 10.[1]  Quotations would be evaluated under a best-value tradeoff analysis on the basis of price and two non-price factors, organizational experience and past performance.  Id. Vendors could submit quotations for photography, videography, or both services.  Id. at 11.  When describing the services to be performed, the solicitation advised the following: The Contractor will be required to shoot still photographs and/or video of wildfires and prescribed fires burning in forests and on rangelands; wildland firefighters engaged in suppression actions, including, but not limited to, digging firelines, operating fire engines and hoses, rappelling out of helicopters, parachuting out of fixed wing aircraft, protecting structures, and conducting burn-outs and backfires; helicopters and fixed wing aircraft dropping water or fire retardant on wildfires; and events and activities conducted in support of wildfires and prescribed fires, including visits to, and tours of, wildfires, fire camps, and fire support facilities by government agency leaders and elected officials, conferences, and trainings. Id.