INTELiTEAMS, Inc. (DJF-19-0010-PR-0001277)

B-418123.4 Dec 09, 2020 Jump To FULL REPORT VIEW DECISION RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights INTELiTEAMS, Inc., a historically underutilized business zone service-disabled veteran-owned small business of Holland, Michigan, protests the issuance of an order to IntelliWare Systems, Inc., of Fredricksburg, Virginia, under request for quotations (RFQ) No. DJF-19-0010-PR-0001277, issued by the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), for administrative and program support staff. The protester challenges virtually every aspect of the agency's evaluation of its quotation, and argues that the agency's evaluation and source selection process unfairly favored the incumbent contractor. The protester also argues that the evaluation resulted in a determination of nonresponsibility, which the agency was required to refer to the Small Business Administration (SBA) under its certificate of competency (COC) program. The protester further contends that, contrary to the solicitation, the agency did not perform any price evaluation or conduct a best-value tradeoff. We deny the protest. View Decision Decision Matter of:  INTELiTEAMS, Inc. File:  B-418123.4 Date:  December 9, 2020 Jerry Mannes, for the protester. Damien C. Specht, Esq., Rachel K. Plymale, Esq., and Caitlin A. Crujido, Esq., Morrison & Foerster, LLP, for IntelliWare Systems, Inc., the intervenor. Michael P. Giordano, Esq., and Kelli Beene, Esq., Department of Justice, 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 challenging numerous aspects of agency’s evaluation of the protester’s technical and past performance information is denied because the evaluation was reasonable and consistent with the solicitation. 2.  Protest challenging agency’s selection of a higher-rated, higher-priced quotation for award is unobjectionable because the agency’s tradeoff decision was reasonable and consistent with the solicitation. DECISION   INTELiTEAMS, Inc., a historically underutilized business zone service-disabled veteran-owned small business of Holland, Michigan, protests the issuance of an order to IntelliWare Systems, Inc., of Fredricksburg, Virginia, under request for quotations (RFQ) No. DJF-19-0010-PR-0001277, issued by the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), for administrative and program support staff.  The protester challenges virtually every aspect of the agency’s evaluation of its quotation, and argues that the agency’s evaluation and source selection process unfairly favored the incumbent contractor.  The protester also argues that the evaluation resulted in a determination of nonresponsibility, which the agency was required to refer to the Small Business Administration (SBA) under its certificate of competency (COC) program.  The protester further contends that, contrary to the solicitation, the agency did not perform any price evaluation or conduct a best-value tradeoff.  We deny the protest. BACKGROUND On July 11, 2019, utilizing the procedures of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) subpart 8.4, the agency issued the solicitation to vendors with which it previously established blanket purchase agreements (BPAs) under the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Solutions for Administrative and Program Services (SOAPS) multiple-award federal supply schedule (FSS) contract.  Agency Report (AR), Tab 1, Contracting Officer’s Statement (COS) at 1, 4; AR, Tab 3, RFQ at 15.  The solicitation sought quotations for professional support staff to provide office management to the agency’s Office of Private Sector (OPS) and its Counterintelligence Division (CD), assist OPS with its engagement efforts, and to provide research support to the CD.  RFQ at 3.  The solicitation sought to issue a fixed-price order for a 1-year base period and two 1-year option periods to the vendor whose quotation represented the best value to the government, considering price and non-price factors.  Id. at 3, 10, 13.  The solicitation established two non-price evaluation factors:  (1) management and technical plan, which included a vendor’s staffing plan and transition plan; and (2) past performance.  RFQ at 13.  The solicitation provided that management and technical plan was the most important evaluation factor, that past performance was significantly more important than price, and that the non-price factors combined were more important than price.  Id. at 13-14.  The solicitation further provided that the agency would evaluate vendors’ quoted prices for completeness and reasonableness.  Id.  The solicitation established that award would be made using a best-value tradeoff source selection methodology, and that award may be made “to other than the lowest priced [quotation], or other than the highest technically evaluated [quotation].”  Id.