Battelle Memorial Institute (75D301-19-R-67964)

B-418047.5,B-418047.6 Nov 18, 2020 Jump To FULL REPORT VIEW DECISION RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights Battelle Memorial Institute, of Columbus, Ohio, protests the issuance of a task order to CSRA, LLC, of Falls Church, Virginia, pursuant to request for proposals (RFP) No. 75D301-19-R-67964, issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for consultation, research, and development activities in support of the agency's work to prevent and respond to national and international influenza epidemics and pandemics. The protester challenges numerous aspects of the CDC's evaluation of proposals and its source selection 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:  Battelle Memorial Institute File:  B-418047.5; B-418047.6 Date:  November 18, 2020 Marques O. Peterson, Esq., J. Matthew Carter, Esq.,  Meghan D. Doherty, Esq., and Robert C. Starling, Esq., Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, for the protester. Michael F. Mason, Esq., Christine A. Reynolds, Esq., and Adilene Rosales, Esq., Hogan Lovells, for CSRA, LLC, the intervenor. Elise Harris, Esq. and Corey J. Thompson, Esq., Department of Health and Human Services, for the agency. Heather Self, Esq., and Peter H. Tran, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST 1.  Protest that agency disparately evaluated proposals is denied because the record reflects that the differences in evaluations were a result of differences in proposals. 2.  Protest that agency failed to explain basis for a new weakness assessed in protester’s proposal during reevaluation is denied because the agency’s evaluation was reasonable and consistent with its prior evaluation. 3.  Protest that agency arbitrarily assigned point scores to offerors’ proposals without explaining how the strengths and weaknesses assessed in the proposals translated into the assigned point scores is denied because the record reflects the agency undertook a detailed consideration of each strength and weakness assessed in offerors’ proposals. 4.  Protest that the agency’s best-value tradeoff ignored the relative importance of evaluation factors set forth in the solicitation is denied because the agency’s source selection decision was reasonable and consistent with the solicitation. DECISION   Battelle Memorial Institute, of Columbus, Ohio, protests the issuance of a task order to CSRA, LLC, of Falls Church, Virginia, pursuant to request for proposals (RFP) No. 75D301-19-R-67964, issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for consultation, research, and development activities in support of the agency’s work to prevent and respond to national and international influenza epidemics and pandemics.  The protester challenges numerous aspects of the CDC’s evaluation of proposals and its source selection decision. We deny the protest. BACKGROUND The CDC issued the solicitation on June 19, 2019, and revised it on November 4, pursuant to the fair opportunity source selection procedures of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) subpart 16.5.[1]  Agency Report (AR), Tab 14, RFP at 1, 72.[2]  The solicitation sought proposals from holders of the General Services Administration’s One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contracts for work in support of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), within the CDC’s Infectious Diseases office.  Id. at 5.  Specifically, the solicitation sought proposals for “consultation, research and development activities for influenza diagnostics, vaccine development and effectiveness monitoring, antiviral development and effectiveness monitoring, epidemiology and surveillance, quality assurance/control methodologies, processes and procedures, laboratory standards development and technology transfer activities, and [to] provide support to partners to enhance [the CDC’s] capabilities to prevent and respond to national and international influenza epidemics/pandemics.”  Id. at 7.  The solicitation contemplated issuance of a single time-and-materials task order for a 1-year base period with a one 1-year option period.  RFP at 2-4, 69, 78.  The solicitation provided that award would be made to the offeror whose proposal represented the best value to the government, and that award might be made to a higher-rated, higher-priced offeror if that offeror’s approach “outweighs the price difference.”  Id.