Credence Management Solutions, LLC

B-417389.2 Jul 31, 2019 Jump To FULL REPORT VIEW DECISION RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights Credence Management Solutions, LLC (Credence), a small business located in Vienna, Virginia, protests the issuance of a task order to Cherokee Nation Technologies, LLC (CNT), of Catoosa, Oklahoma, by the Department of the Air Force under fair opportunity proposal request (FOPR) FA8903-18-R-0004, for advisory and assistance services to support the Air Force's base realignment and closure (BRAC) program management division. Credence protests that the agency unreasonably evaluated one of the awardee's past performance projects in a manner inconsistent with the solicitation; unequally evaluated past performance; and afforded disproportionate weight to the awardee's past performance in a certain area of work in making its award decision. 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:  Credence Management Solutions, LLC File:  B-417389.2 Date:  July 31, 2019 S. Lane Tucker, Esq., and Bryn R. Pallesen, Esq., Stoel Rives LLP, for the protester. Antonio R. Franco, Esq., Patrick T. Rothwell, Esq., Timothy F. Valley, Esq., and Emily Rouleau, Esq., PilieroMazza PLLC, for Cherokee Nation Technologies, LLC, the intervenor. Justin D. Haselden, Esq., and Jeffrey M. Kwastel, Esq., Department of the Air Force, for the agency. John Sorrenti, Esq., and Christina Sklarew, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST Protest challenging agency’s evaluation of past performance as unreasonable, inconsistent with the solicitation, and unequal, and alleging that the agency afforded disproportionate weight to awardee’s past performance is denied where the record shows that the evaluation and corresponding source selection decision were reasonable and consistent with the terms of the solicitation. DECISION Credence Management Solutions, LLC (Credence), a small business located in Vienna, Virginia, protests the issuance of a task order to Cherokee Nation Technologies, LLC (CNT), of Catoosa, Oklahoma, by the Department of the Air Force under fair opportunity proposal request (FOPR) FA8903-18-R-0004, for advisory and assistance services to support the Air Force’s base realignment and closure (BRAC) program management division.  Credence protests that the agency unreasonably evaluated one of the awardee’s past performance projects in a manner inconsistent with the solicitation; unequally evaluated past performance; and afforded disproportionate weight to the awardee’s past performance in a certain area of work in making its award decision. We deny the protest. BACKGROUND On February 18, 2018, the agency issued the FOPR as a small business set-aside under the General Service Administration’s (GSA) One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services (OASIS) small business pool 1 indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract.  Agency Report (AR), Tab 3, FOPR at 1.  The FOPR contemplates the issuance, on a best-value tradeoff basis, of a fixed-price task order to provide advisory and assistance services and deliverables in support of the BRAC program management division.  AR, Tab 3, FOPR at 1, 5, 28.  The Performance Work Statement (PWS) identifies various required services and support, including, as relevant here, geobase and geospatial support, which involves gathering, analyzing, and managing geospatial data, and deploying a geospatial information systems (GIS) data management program for up to 40 BRAC installations, among other things.  Id. PWS §§ 2.2, 2.2.1.5, at 29, 31. The FOPR instructed offerors to submit three volumes for their proposals, one for each of the three evaluation factors:  technical, past performance, and price.  FOPR at 3-5.  The technical proposal was evaluated as either acceptable or unacceptable; a proposal was acceptable if it met the minimum requirements of the solicitation.  Id. at 6.  For the past performance volume, offerors had to complete a relevant contracts reference sheet that identified and outlined the offeror’s past performance as a prime contractor or subcontractor on contracts that were the same or similar in nature, size, and complexity to the services being procured under the FOPR.  Id. at 4.  Offerors also had to include a narrative explaining the relevance of these contracts.  Id.  For the contracts identified on the reference sheet, the RFP instructed offerors to provide a past performance questionnaire (PPQ) to the “points of contact responsible for monitoring performance” under the contracts, and directed the points of contact to return the PPQs directly to the agency.[1]  Id.