Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. (36C10X-19Q-0116)

B-418125,B-418125.2,B-418125.3 Jan 15, 2020 Jump To FULL REPORT VIEW DECISION RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. (BAH) of Falls Church, Virginia, challenges the establishment of a blanket purchase agreement (BPA) and award of a call order to Cognosante, LLC, under request for quotations (RFQ) No. 36C10X-19Q-0016, issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for implementation support services to transform the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) into a High Reliability Organization (HRO). BAH challenges the agency's evaluation of vendors' quotations and 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:  Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. File:  B-418125; B-418125.2; B-418125.3 Date:  January 15, 2020 Jason A. Carey, Esq., Kayleigh M. Scalzo, Esq., and Peter B. Terenzio III, Esq., Covington & Burling LLP, for the protester.  Alexander B. Ginsberg, Esq., Meghan D. Doherty, Esq., and Aaron S. Ralph, Esq., Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, for Cognosante, LLC, the intervenor.  Jason A. M. Fragoso, Esq., and Vanessa L. Calabrese, Esq., Department of Veterans Affairs, for the agency.  Kasia Dourney, Esq., and Christina Sklarew, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST 1.  Protest challenging an agency’s evaluation of an awardee’s past performance quotation as improperly crediting it with the past performance of an affiliate is denied where the awardee’s quotation demonstrated it acquired full ownership of the affiliate, including its workforce and resources, and the solicitation’s terms did not prohibit consideration of an affiliate’s past performance. 2.  Protest challenging evaluation of an awardee’s price quotation is denied where the evaluation was reasonable and consistent with the solicitation’s terms. 3.  Protest alleging that an awardee received an unfair competitive advantage based on hiring a current government employee for a key personnel position is denied where the agency investigated the matter and reasonably concluded that no unfair competitive advantage was conferred upon the awardee. 4.  Protest challenging the agency’s best-value decision is denied where the agency reasonably concluded that the awardee’s quotation was superior to the protester’s quotation under the non-price evaluation factors, and merited award despite a slight price premium.   DECISION Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. (BAH) of Falls Church, Virginia, challenges the establishment of a blanket purchase agreement (BPA) and award of a call order to Cognosante, LLC, under request for quotations (RFQ) No. 36C10X-19Q-0016, issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for implementation support services to transform the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) into a High Reliability Organization (HRO).[1]  BAH challenges the agency’s evaluation of vendors’ quotations and its award decision. We deny the protest. BACKGROUND The solicitation was issued on July 30, 2019, under the procedures of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) section 8.405-3, to vendors holding General Services Administration (GSA) Professional Services Schedule (PSS) contracts, with special item number 874-1, integrated consulting services.  RFQ at 561; AR, Tab 9, Best-Value Determination (BVD), at 4-5.  The RFQ anticipated establishment of a BPA and award of a fixed-price/labor-hour hybrid call or task order, for a base year and four 1-year options, to provide advisory and assistance services to the VHA to support and facilitate its transformation to an HRO.[2]  RFQ at 465.  The scope of work included performance of on-site assessment diagnostics, provision of training and support of national HRO training initiatives, analysis of outcomes, recommended implementation plans, and execution of implementation plans.  Id.  Work was to be performed at the VA’s 167 medical centers, located across the country.  Id. at 464. The solicitation provided for establishing the BPA with a GSA schedule holder on a best-value tradeoff basis, considering the following four factors, in descending order of importance:  capability and experience, past performance, involvement of veterans, and price.  RFQ at 572.  The capability and experience factor was significantly more important than past performance, which was more important than veterans’ involvement; all non-price factors, when combined, were significantly more important than price.  Id.  The capability and experience factor also included four subfactors:  technical/managementapproach, staffing/managementplan, key personnel, and experience in implementation of high reliability in federal government and/or commercial healthcare.[3]  Id.