Digital Age Experts, LLC (2019-18101100001S)

B-419017,B-419017.2,B-419017.3,B-419017.4 Nov 23, 2020 Jump To FULL REPORT VIEW DECISION RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights QVine Corporation, of Herndon, Virginia, and Digital Age Experts, LLC (DAE), of Reston, Virginia, protest the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) award of contracts to other offerors, pursuant to request for proposals (RFP) No. 2019-18101100001S, to provide support for the CIA's Open Source Enterprise (OSE). QVine protests the agency's assessment of a significant weakness in its technical proposal, and both QVine and DAE assert that the agency's technical evaluation was contrary to the terms of the solicitation. Additionally, both protesters challenge the agency's cost/price evaluation and best-value tradeoff determinations. We deny the protests. 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:  QVine Corporation; Digital Age Experts, LLC File:  B-419017; B-419017.2; B-419017.3; B-419017.4 Date:  November 23, 2020 G. Matthew Koehl, Esq., Kelley P. Doran, Esq., Gary J. Campbell, Esq., and Lidiya Kurin, Esq., Womble Bond Dickinson (US), LLP, for QVine Corporation; and C. Peter Dungan, Esq., and Holly Drumheller Butler, Esq., Miles & Stockbridge PC, for Digital Age Experts, LLC, the protesters. Samantha S. Lee, Esq., Brian G. Walsh, Esq., Gary S. Ward, Esq., Moshe B. Broder, Esq., and Nicole E. Giles, Esq., Wiley LLP, for Novetta, Inc.; Jason A. Carey, Esq., J. Hunter Bennett, Esq., Kevin T. Barnett, Esq., Andrew R. Guy, Esq., and Darby Rourick, Esq., Covington & Burling, LLP, for Next Tier Concepts, Inc.; Laurel A. Hockey, Esq., David S. Cohen, Esq., Daniel J. Strouse, Esq., and John J. O’Brien, Esq., Cordatis LLP, for BTI360, Inc.; and, Craig A. Holman, Esq., Kara L. Daniels, Esq., Thomas A. Pettit, Esq., and James R. Mestichelli, Esq., Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP, for Asymmetrik, Ltd., the intervenors. Lindsay Windsor, Esq., Dana E. Koffman, Esq., and Avi M. Baldinger, Esq., Central Intelligence Agency, for the agency. Glenn G. Wolcott, Esq., and Christina Sklarew, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST 1.  Agency reasonably assessed a significant weakness in protester’s technical proposal based on protester’s failure to meaningfully address solicitation requirements regarding information security. 2.  Agency evaluated technical proposals in a manner that was consistent with the solicitation’s evaluation criteria, which provided for assessing the extent to which proposals balanced the solicitation’s potentially competing objectives of functionality, performance, and availability.  3.  Agency reasonably determined that the higher cost/prices proposed by the awardees were reasonable based on consideration of the technical approach of each offeror, comparison of cost/prices to government cost estimates, and comparison of offerors’ cost/prices to each other.  4. Agency’s best-value tradeoff determinations were reasonable where the source selection authority (SSA) considered and documented the evaluated strengths, weaknesses, and cost/prices of the competing proposals, and the SSA’s judgments were rational and consistent with the evaluation criteria. DECISION QVine Corporation, of Herndon, Virginia, and Digital Age Experts, LLC (DAE), of Reston, Virginia, protest the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) award of contracts to other offerors,[1] pursuant to request for proposals (RFP) No. 2019-18101100001S, to provide support for the CIA’s Open Source Enterprise (OSE).