Applied Sciences & Information Systems, Inc.

B-418068,B-418068.2 Dec 26, 2019 Jump To FULL REPORT VIEW DECISION RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights Applied Sciences & Information Systems, Inc., a small business of Virginia Beach, Virginia, protests the award of a contract to CarVaTech USA LLC, a small business of Virginia Beach, Virginia, under request for quotations (RFQ) No. M67001-19-Q-0016, by the United States Marine Corps, which was issued for web-based recreation permit sales services. The protester contends that the RFQ contained a latent ambiguity that impacted the price it quoted, and that the agency failed to document whether CarVaTech's quotation complied with the requirements of the solicitation. The protest is denied in part and dismissed in part. We deny the protest in part and dismiss the protest in part. 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:  Applied Sciences & Information Systems, Inc. File:  B-418068; B-418068.2 Date:  December 26, 2019 Tenley A. Carp, Esq., Georgina C. Shepard, Esq., Andrew C. Stevens, Esq., and David L. Hobson, Esq. Arnall Golden Gregory LLP, for the protester. Todd Hicks for CarVaTech USA LLC, the intervenor. Major Kathleen O’Hara, Graeme Henderson, Esq., and Ellen Clark, Esq., United States Marine Corps, for the agency. Stephanie B. Magnell, Esq., and Amy B. Pereira, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST 1.  Protest alleging that the solicitation contained a latent ambiguity is dismissed as untimely, where the protester was advised of the agency’s interpretation of the solicitation no later than the date the agency report was filed, and the protest ground was filed more than 10 days later.  A related protest ground arguing that the agency improperly applied the solicitation’s technical evaluation criteria is dismissed, where the protester’s challenge to the agency’s interpretation of the provision is dismissed as untimely. 2.  Protest arguing that the agency failed to adequately document its technical evaluation is denied, where the evaluation was adequate. DECISION Applied Sciences & Information Systems, Inc., a small business of Virginia Beach, Virginia, protests the award of a contract to CarVaTech USA LLC, a small business of Virginia Beach, Virginia, under request for quotations (RFQ) No. M67001-19-Q-0016, by the United States Marine Corps, which was issued for web-based recreation permit sales services.  The protester contends that the RFQ contained a latent ambiguity that impacted the price it quoted, and that the agency failed to document whether CarVaTech’s quotation complied with the requirements of the solicitation. We deny the protest in part and dismiss the protest in part. BACKGROUND On June 21, 2019, the Marine Corps issued the RFQ as a combined synopsis/solicitation under the commercial item acquisition and simplified acquisition procedures of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) parts 12 and 13.  Agency Report, (AR), Tab B, RFQ at 18.  The solicitation, which was set-aside for small businesses, sought quotations to provide web-based recreation permit sales services, as specified in the solicitation’s performance work statement (PWS).  Id. at 3, 18.  The RFQ provided for award to the lowest-priced, technically acceptable vendor with relevant and satisfactory past performance, considering the evaluation factors of technical, delivery, past performance, and price.  Id. at 18.  The solicitation identified a base period of performance of one year, with four 1-year options.  Id. at 3.  As relevant to this protest, the PWS contained the following requirement: The Contractor is required to ensure compliance with the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP).  FedRAMP is a government-wide program that provides a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services.