VSolvit, LLC (N63394-19-R-3506)

B-418265.2,B-418265.3 Jul 30, 2020 Jump To FULL REPORT VIEW DECISION RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights VSolvit, LLC, of Ventura, California, a small business, protests the issuance of a SeaPort Next Generation task order to New Directions Technologies, Inc., of Ridgecrest, California, also a small business, under request for proposals (RFP) No. N63394-19-R-3506, issued by the Department of the Navy, Naval Sea Systems Command, for information technology team support services for the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Port Hueneme, California. VSolvit argues that the Navy misevaluated both firms' proposals and made an unreasonable 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. No party requested redactions; we are therefore releasing the decision in its entirety. Decision Matter of:  VSolvit, LLC File:  B-418265.2; B-418265.3 Date:  July 30, 2020 Antonio R. Franco, Esq., Anna R. Wright, Esq., Jason A. Blindauer, Esq., and Justin D. Haselden, Esq., Piliero Mazza PLLC, for the protester. Ambika J. Biggs, Esq., William L. Walsh, Esq., and Andrea I. Mousouris, Esq., Hirschler Fleischer, for New Directions Technologies, Inc., the intervenor. Gregg S. Sharp, Esq., and Craig Haughtelin, Esq., Department of the Navy, for the agency. Paul N. Wengert, Esq., and Tania Calhoun, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST 1.  Protest that agency misevaluated protester’s technical approach as unacceptable is denied where the proposal did not show that the candidate for one of the key personnel positions had the specific experience the solicitation identified as a required qualification for the position, and the resulting evaluation was reasonable and consistent with the solicitation.  2.  Protester’s challenges to other aspects of the evaluation are dismissed where the protester was not competitively prejudiced by any misevaluation of its own proposal, and was not an interested party to challenge the evaluation of the awardee’s proposal because another acceptable offeror was in line for award.  DECISION   VSolvit, LLC, of Ventura, California, a small business, protests the issuance of a SeaPort Next Generation task order to New Directions Technologies, Inc., of Ridgecrest, California, also a small business, under request for proposals (RFP) No. N63394-19-R-3506, issued by the Department of the Navy, Naval Sea Systems Command, for information technology team support services for the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Port Hueneme, California.  VSolvit argues that the Navy misevaluated both firms’ proposals and made an unreasonable source selection decision.  We deny the protest.  BACKGROUND The RFP, issued September 14, 2019, sought task order proposals from small businesses holding contracts under the Navy’s SeaPort Next Generation multiple-award task order contract to provide a variety of information technology support services under a single cost-plus-fixed-fee task order.  The RFP described the agency’s requirements in a statement of work (SOW) and directed offerors to submit their proposals in four volumes to address such things as technical and management approach.  RFP at 77.  With respect to the technical approach, among other things, offerors were to provide a staffing plan matrix, in the form of a spreadsheet, organized by SOW paragraph/task area for all proposed personnel.  The matrix was to include various information for each individual, including their name, employer, labor category, proposed position, years of related professional experience, highest educational degree held, and a “[d]escription of relevant experience that maps to the technical requirements.”  Id. at 82-83; Agency Report (AR), Tab 3.8, RFP attach. J-S-7 (model staffing matrix spreadsheet).  As relevant to the protest, the RFP also identified five key personnel positions, and listed specific qualifications that were required, and others that were desirable, for each position.  RFP at 84-86.  For the senior database engineer, the second of five required qualifications (which were listed twice in the RFP) was the following: Minimum of five years of experience with the Microsoft SQL [structured query language] server stack, Microsoft SQL, SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS), SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS), and Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services SSRS. Id.