RIVA Solutions, Inc. (1332KP20QNAAA0012)

B-418952,B-418952.2 Oct 27, 2020 Jump To FULL REPORT VIEW DECISION RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights RIVA Solutions, Inc., of McLean, Virginia, protests the issuance of a task order to Alpha Omega Integration, LLC, of Vienna, Virginia, under request for quotations (RFQ) No. 1332KP20QNAAA0012, issued by the Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), for information and technology support services. The protester challenges various aspects of the agency's evaluation and best-value tradeoff decision. The protester also argues that the agency should have rejected the awardee's quotation for allegedly departing from the solicitation's formatting requirements. 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:  RIVA Solutions, Inc. File:  B-418952; B-418952.2 Date:  October 27, 2020 Elizabeth N. Jochum, Esq., and Todd M. Garland, Esq., Smith Pachter McWhorter PLC, for the protester. Antonio R. Franco, Esq., Patrick T. Rothwell, Esq., and Jonathan I. Pomerance, Esq., PilieroMazza PLLC, for Alpha Omega Integration, LLC, the intervenor. James Rhodes, Esq., Department of Commerce, for the agency. April Y. Shields, Esq., and Christina Sklarew, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST 1.  Protest challenging the agency’s evaluation of the protester’s and the awardee’s quotations is denied where the record shows that the agency’s evaluation was reasonable and consistent with the terms of the solicitation. 2.  Protest challenging the acceptability of the awardee’s quotation for allegedly departing from administrative requirements is denied where the solicitation did not prohibit such a submission. 3.  Protest challenging the agency’s selection of a higher-rated, higher-priced quotation is denied where the record shows that the agency’s best-value tradeoff decision was reasonable and consistent with the terms of the solicitation. DECISION   RIVA Solutions, Inc., of McLean, Virginia, protests the issuance of a task order to Alpha Omega Integration, LLC, of Vienna, Virginia, under request for quotations (RFQ) No. 1332KP20QNAAA0012, issued by the Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), for information and technology support services.  The protester challenges various aspects of the agency’s evaluation and best-value tradeoff decision.  The protester also argues that the agency should have rejected the awardee’s quotation for allegedly departing from the solicitation’s formatting requirements. We deny the protest. BACKGROUND The RFQ, issued on April 9, 2020, was set aside for 8(a) small business vendors holding contracts under the General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) No. 70 (Information Technology).  Agency Report (AR), Tab 1, RFQ; Tab 3, RFQ amend. 1.[1]  The RFQ sought a contractor for information and technology support services for NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, which is “the world’s largest provider of environmental information.”  RFQ amend. 1 at 34.  Specifically, the contractor would be responsible for, among other things, operations and maintenance of information technology systems and “system administration support for [National Centers for Environmental Information] infrastructure, data management, and software development activities.”  Id. at 38.  The RFQ includes a performance work statement (PWS) that provides, as relevant here, that the agency anticipates migrating its data, systems, and other capabilities to a commercial cloud infrastructure during the performance of the task order; and that the task order includes four places of performance, including a primary headquarters location in Asheville, North Carolina.  See id. at 34-35, 39, 42. The RFQ contemplated the issuance of a hybrid fixed-price and time-and-materials task order to be performed over a base period of 6 months, with five option periods (including four 1-year options and one 6-month option), and a 6-month extension option.  RFQ amend. 1 at 16, 20. The RFQ stated that award would be made on a best-value tradeoff basis, considering four factors:  technical approach, management plan, past performance, and price.  The RFQ advised that all of the evaluation factors other than price, when combined, were more important than price.  RFQ at 7.  With regard to administrative requirements, the RFQ provided that “the quotation shall use a minimum of 12 point (Times New Roman)” font, but that “charts, tables, and graphics may use a minimum of 10 point font.”  RFQ amend. 1 at 13.  The RFQ also required vendors to prepare quotations in three separate volumes and specified, of relevance here, a 3‑page limit for the past performance volume.  Id.