Ripple Effect Communications, Inc. (W81XWH-19-R-0098)

B-418660.2 Dec 14, 2020 Jump To FULL REPORT VIEW DECISION RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights Ripple Effect Communications, Inc., a small business of Rockville, Maryland, protests the award of a contract to Goldbelt Frontier, LLC, also a small business, of Alexandria, Virginia, under request for proposals (RFP) No. W81XWH-19-R-0098, issued by the Department of the Army, U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, for senior scientific support services for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs. The protester, the incumbent contractor, primarily argues that the agency improperly evaluated its technical proposal and made a flawed best-value 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:  Ripple Effect Communications, Inc. File:  B-418660.2 Date:  December 14, 2020 Antonio R. Franco, Esq., Patrick T. Rothwell, Esq., Timothy F. Valley, Esq., and Jonathan I. Pomerance, Esq., Piliero Mazza PLLC, for the protester. Andrew J. Smith, Esq., Robert B. Neill, Esq., and Major Gregory T. O’Malley, Department of the Army, 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 proposal under the management approach factor is denied where, in all but one respect, the evaluation was reasonable and consistent with the evaluation criteria in the solicitation. 2.  Protest that agency misevaluated protester’s key personnel under the experience factor by assessing a weakness based on a lack of required expertise is denied where the protester did not demonstrate that the error resulted in competitive prejudice.  DECISION   Ripple Effect Communications, Inc., a small business of Rockville, Maryland, protests the award of a contract to Goldbelt Frontier, LLC, also a small business, of Alexandria, Virginia, under request for proposals (RFP) No. W81XWH-19-R-0098, issued by the Department of the Army, U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, for senior scientific support services for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs.  The protester, the incumbent contractor, primarily argues that the agency improperly evaluated its technical proposal and made a flawed best-value decision. We deny the protest. BACKGROUND The solicitation, issued as a small business set-aside on September 19, 2019, anticipated the award of a fixed-price requirements contract to be performed over a base year and four 1-year options.  Agency Report (AR), Tab 15, Conformed RFP, at 12.[1]  The requirement, from the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP), is to provide approximately 40 senior level scientists to support research management needs in six areas:  autoimmune and genetic disorders; cancer; cardiovascular and respiratory health; infectious diseases; neurological and psychological health; and tissue, organ, and orthopedic injuries and restorative/rehabilitative medicine.  AR, Tab 15, Conformed RFP, at 12-13 (Performance Work Statement (PWS) 1.2, 3.1.2).   Award was to be made, without conducting discussions, to the firm offering the best value considering price and five non-price evaluation factors, listed in descending order of importance:  management approach, technical approach, experience, small business participation plan, and past performance.  AR, Tab 15, Conformed RFP, at 42.  The non-price factors were more important than price.  Id.  Proposals were to be adjectivally rated as outstanding, good, acceptable, marginal, or unacceptable under the first three non-price factors, and then given an overall adjectival rating.[2]  Id. at 44.  Only the management approach and experience factors are at issue here.  The agency received 11 proposals by the October 30, 2019, closing date, including those from Goldbelt and Ripple.  COS at 10.  After eliminating one proposal for reasons not relevant here, and an evaluation of proposals by a source selection evaluation board (SSEB), award was made to Goldbelt on March 27, 2020.  Ripple protested the award to our Office; the protest was dismissed as academic on May 15 in response to the agency’s notice that it planned to take corrective action by, at a minimum, reevaluating the proposals under the past performance factor and making a new source selection decision.  Req. for Dismissal (B-418660), attach.