MindPoint Group, LLC (140D0420Q0189)

B-418875.2,B-418875.4 Oct 08, 2020 Jump To FULL REPORT VIEW DECISION RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights MindPoint Group, LLC (MPG), a small business of Alexandria, Virginia, protests the award of a contract to CENTERPOINT, Inc. (Centerpoint), a small business of Leesburg, Virginia, under request for quotations (RFQ) No. 140D0420Q0189, issued by the Department of the Interior (DOI), on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), for cybersecurity support services in support of HHS's Office of the Chief Information Officer. MPG raises various challenges to the agency's evaluation of MPG's and Centerpoint's quotations. 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:  MindPoint Group, LLC File:  B-418875.2; B-418875.4 Date:  October 8, 2020 Attison L. Barnes, Esq., Tracye W. Howard, Esq., Gary S. Ward, Esq., and Sarah Hansen, Esq., Wiley Rein LLP, for the protester. Edward J. Tolchin, Esq., Offit Kurman Attorneys at Law, for CENTERPOINT, Inc., the intervenor. Robert D. Banfield, Esq., and William B. Blake, Esq., Department of the Interior, for the agency. Lois Hanshaw, Esq., and Evan C. Williams, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST 1.  Protest challenging the agency’s evaluation of quotations and award decision is denied where record shows that the evaluation was reasonable and consistent with the terms of the solicitation. 2.  Protest that awardee’s proposal is unacceptable because the awardee failed to notify the agency before award that a proposed key person was unavailable is denied where the record does not clearly indicate that the proposed key person was unavailable prior to award. 3.  Allegation that the agency failed to conduct a price realism analysis is denied because the protester has not demonstrated that the awardee’s price was unrealistic. DECISION   MindPoint Group, LLC (MPG), a small business of Alexandria, Virginia, protests the award of a contract to CENTERPOINT, Inc. (Centerpoint), a small business of Leesburg, Virginia, under request for quotations (RFQ) No. 140D0420Q0189, issued by the Department of the Interior (DOI), on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), for cybersecurity support services in support of HHS’s Office of the Chief Information Officer.  MPG raises various challenges to the agency’s evaluation of MPG’s and Centerpoint’s quotations. We deny the protest. BACKGROUND On March 26, 2020, DOI issued the RFQ as a small business set-aside and sought quotations from vendors holding Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contracts under General Services Administration (GSA) Information Technology Schedule 70.  Agency Report (AR), Tab 2, RFQ at 1.  The solicitation, issued under the FSS procedures of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) subpart 8.4, contemplated the issuance of a time-and-materials task order--with fixed billing rates and not-to exceed ceilings--for cybersecurity support services to be performed over a 1-year base period and four 1‑year option periods.[1]  Id. at 1-2.  Award would be made on a best-value tradeoff basis, considering four evaluation factors, listed in descending order of importance: (1) technical approach; (2) management approach and key personnel (key personnel); (3) past performance; and (4) price.  Id. at 11-12.  The RFQ stated that non-price factors collectively are significantly more important than price.  Id. at 12. Nineteen vendors, including MPG and Centerpoint, submitted quotations by the May 4 closing date.[2]  Contracting Officer’s Statement (COS) at 2.  After the initial screening, and after evaluating the remaining quotations, the agency concluded that Centerpoint’s quotation offered the best value to the government.  AR, Tab 19, Award Summary at 63.  Specifically, the agency concluded that Centerpoint’s quotation offered the strongest technical approach and lowest price ($115,592,447), and that its responses assessed under the key personnel and past performance factors were stronger or just as strong as those provided in any other quotation except, as relevant here, MPG’s.  Id.  In this regard, although the agency noted that MPG’s quotation was the strongest overall--i.e., second strongest for the technical approach and key personnel factors and strongest for past performance--the agency concluded that the strength of MPG’s quotation, with an offered price of $153,452,088, did not warrant paying a $38 million price premium.  Id. On June 22, the agency made award to Centerpoint.  On June 29, the agency providedMPG a brief explanation of award.