Horizon Strategies, LLC (W9124D20R0016)

B-419419.5,B-419419.6 Mar 15, 2023 Jump To FULL REPORT VIEW DECISION RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights Horizon Strategies, LLC, a service-disabled veteran-owned small business located in Winston Salem, North Carolina, protests the award of a contract to SilverStar Consulting, Inc. (SilverStar), a service-disabled veteran-owned small business located in Falls Church, Virginia, under request for proposals (RFP) No. W9124D20R0016. The RFP was issued by the Department of the Army, Mission and Installation Contracting Command, to obtain support services for the Army's soldier for life transition assistance program (SFL-TAP). Horizon challenges various aspects of the agency's evaluation of proposals, best-value tradeoff, and source selection decision. Horizon also challenges SilverStar's eligibility for award based on alleged personal conflicts of interest. 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: Horizon Strategies, LLC File: B-419419.5; B-419419.6 Date: March 15, 2023 Aron C. Beezley, Esq., Patrick R. Quigley, Esq., Sarah S. Osborne, Esq., Lisa A. Markman, Esq., Nathaniel J. Greeson, Esq., and Gabrielle A. Sprio, Esq., Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, for the protester. Craig A. Holman, Esq., Thomas A. Pettit, Esq., and Julia A. Swafford, Esq., Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP, for SilverStar Consulting, Inc., the intervenor. Andrew J. Smith, Esq., Lieutenant Colonel Seth B. Ritzman, Captain Dmitrius R. McGruder, and Captain Natalie W. McKiernan, Department of the Army, for the agency. Paula A. Williams, Esq., and Evan D. Wesser, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST 1. Protest challenging numerous aspects of agency’s evaluation of competing offerors’ technical, past performance, and cost/price proposals is denied where the evaluation was reasonable and consistent with the terms of the solicitation. 2. Protest that award was tainted by personal conflicts of interest is denied where the contracting officer meaningfully considered protester’s allegations and reasonably concluded that no disqualifying conflicts existed. 3. Protest that agency did not perform a proper best-value tradeoff and essentially converted the basis for award from a tradeoff to a lowest-priced, technically acceptable source selection methodology is denied where the record shows that the agency performed a best-value tradeoff that was reasonable and adequately documented. DECISION Horizon Strategies, LLC, a service-disabled veteran-owned small business located in Winston Salem, North Carolina, protests the award of a contract to SilverStar Consulting, Inc. (SilverStar), a service-disabled veteran-owned small business located in Falls Church, Virginia, under request for proposals (RFP) No. W9124D20R0016. The RFP was issued by the Department of the Army, Mission and Installation Contracting Command, to obtain support services for the Army’s soldier for life transition assistance program (SFL-TAP). Horizon challenges various aspects of the agency’s evaluation of proposals, best-value tradeoff, and source selection decision. Horizon also challenges SilverStar’s eligibility for award based on alleged personal conflicts of interest. We deny the protest. BACKGROUND Procedural History By way of background, this is the fifth protest filed with our Office challenging various aspects of the agency’s source selection process.[1] On July 9, 2021, the agency originally awarded the contract to Horizon. Contracting Officer Statement (COS) at 10. On July 23, Oban Corporation filed a protest with our Office challenging the exclusion of its proposal from the competitive range and the award to Horizon, which we dismissed as untimely. See Oban Corp., B-419419.2, Sept. 2, 2021 (unpublished decision). On July 28, SilverStar and another offeror separately filed timely protests challenging the agency’s evaluation of proposals and selection decision. In response to the protests, the Army advised our Office that it would take voluntary corrective action including: terminating the award to Horizon; requesting final proposal revisions (FPRs) from the nine competitive range offerors; evaluating the FPRs received; and making a new source selection decision. As a result, our Office dismissed the protests as academic. SilverStar Consulting, Inc., B-419419.3, Aug. 27, 2021 (unpublished decision); Crowned Grace, Inc. dba Crowned Grace Int’l, B-419419.4, Aug. 27, 2021 (unpublished decision). The RFP and Most Recent Evaluation Results On February 28, 2020, the Army issued the RFP as a set-aside for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) part 15 procedures.