Advantaged Solutions, Inc. (SP4701-20-Q-0016)

B-418790,B-418790.2 Aug 31, 2020 Jump To FULL REPORT VIEW DECISION RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights Advantaged Solutions, Inc. (Advantaged), of Washington, District of Columbia, protests the issuance of a task order to Alamo City Engineering Services, Inc. (Alamo), of San Antonio, Texas, under request for quotations (RFQ) No. SP4701-20-Q-0016, issued by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) for brand name information technology (IT) support services. The protester contends that the agency improperly credited Alamo with brand name offerings that were not within the scope of the services provided on Alamo's General Services Administration (GSA) federal supply schedule (FSS) contract. 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 version has been approved for public release. Decision Matter of:  Advantaged Solutions, Inc. File:  B-418790; B-418790.2 Date:  August 31, 2020 Scott A. Schipma, Esq., Shomari B. Wade, Esq., and Brett Castellat, Esq., Greenberg Traurig LLP, for the protester. Michael J. Slattery, Esq., and Richard J. Conway, Esq., Blank Rome LLP, for Alamo City Engineering Services, Inc., the intervenor. Elizabeth Amato, Esq., Michael D. McPeak, Esq., Defense Logistics Agency, for the agency. Christopher Alwood, Esq., and Christina Sklarew, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST Protest of the issuance of a task order against a vendor’s General Services Administration Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contract is denied where the contracting agency properly determined that the services called for under the task order were within the scope of the vendor’s FSS contract and the agency’s evaluation was reasonable and in accordance with the solicitation criteria. DECISION Advantaged Solutions, Inc. (Advantaged), of Washington, District of Columbia, protests the issuance of a task order to Alamo City Engineering Services, Inc. (Alamo), of San Antonio, Texas, under request for quotations (RFQ) No. SP4701-20-Q-0016, issued by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) for brand name information technology (IT) support services.  The protester contends that the agency improperly credited Alamo with brand name offerings that were not within the scope of the services provided on Alamo’s General Services Administration (GSA) federal supply schedule (FSS) contract.  We deny the protest. BACKGROUND On April 6, 2020, the agency executed a limited-source justification (LSJ) under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 8.405-6(b)(1)[1], restricting purchase of certain support services for DLA’s distribution standard system (DSS)[2] to SAP Public Services Inc. (SAP) and its authorized service providers.  Agency Report (AR), Tab 1, LSJ at 1.  The LSJ stated that the limitation of sources was required because SAP owns the proprietary data for the software currently in use on DSS, and only SAP software is capable of operating fully within DLA’s broader enterprise resource planning umbrella, of which the DSS capability is a module.[3]  Id. at 3.  The agency concluded “SAP products are currently the only compatible products that will meet DLA’s needs, and therefore the required services relate solely to SAP products.”  Id.  Notably, the LSJ’s description of market research conducted by the agency stated that it had found four potential vendors that were SAP authorized service providers, including Advantaged and Alamo.  Id. at 4. On April 7, 2020, the agency issued the RFQ to vendors holding GSA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) Contract 70, General Purpose Commercial IT, Equipment, Software and Services.  AR, Tab 6, Amendment 0004, Attached Conformed RFQ at 2.[4]  The RFQ contemplated the issuance of a single, fixed-price and time-and-materials task order for “brand name SAP support services” in support of DSS.  Id. at 2, 54.  The task order was to be issued against either the successful offeror’s FSS contract or its Department of Defense (DoD) Enterprise Software Initiative (ESI) Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA).  Id. at 2. The solicitation provided for award on a lowest-priced, technically acceptable basis, considering price and the following three non-price evaluation factors:  (1) level of effort/labor mix; (2) key personnel; and, (3) technical approach.  Id. at 3-4.  The solicitation stated that in order to be found technically acceptable, a quotation would need to be acceptable under all non-price evaluation factors and meet all requirements of the performance work statement (PWS).  Id.