Odyssey Systems Consulting Group, Ltd. (47QFPA21R0004)

B-419731,B-419731.2,B-419731.3 Jul 15, 2021 Jump To FULL REPORT VIEW DECISION RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights Odyssey Systems Consulting Group, Ltd. (Odyssey), a small business of Wakefield, Massachusetts, protests the issuance of a task order to Millennium Engineering and Integration LLC (Millennium), of Arlington, Virginia, under request for proposals (RFP) No. 47QFPA21R0004, issued by the General Services Administration (GSA) for engineering, program management, and technical support services. Odyssey challenges Millennium's eligibility for award and the agency's evaluation of proposals. We deny the protest. View Decision Decision Matter of:  Odyssey Systems Consulting Group, Ltd. File:  B-419731; B-419731.2; B-419731.3 Date:  July 15, 2021 David S. Cohen, Esq., Laurel A. Hockey, Esq., Daniel Strouse, Esq., John J. O’Brien, Esq., and Rhina Cardena, Esq., Cordatis Law LLP, for the protester. Damien C. Specht, Esq., R. Locke Bell, Esq., Alissandra D. Young, Esq., and Lyle F. Hedgecock, Esq., Morrison & Foerster LLP, for Millennium Engineering and Integration LLC, the intervenor. Charles McCarthy, Esq., and Torrie Harris, Esq., General Services Administration, 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.  Where the Small Business Administration and a protester both proffer reasonable, but different, interpretations of SBA’s regulations, our Office gives deference to the SBA’s reasonable interpretation of its own regulation, and finds no basis to sustain a challenge to the awardee’s eligibility for award of a task order set aside for small businesses where the agency’s award determination was consistent with the SBA’s interpretation. 2.  Protest challenging an agency’s evaluation of the protester’s proposal and award decision is denied where the record reflects that the evaluation was reasonable and consistent with the terms of the solicitation. DECISION Odyssey Systems Consulting Group, Ltd. (Odyssey), a small business of Wakefield, Massachusetts, protests the issuance of a task order to Millennium Engineering and Integration LLC (Millennium), of Arlington, Virginia, under request for proposals (RFP) No. 47QFPA21R0004, issued by the General Services Administration (GSA) for engineering, program management, and technical support services.  Odyssey challenges Millennium’s eligibility for award and the agency’s evaluation of proposals. We deny the protest. BACKGROUND On December 18, 2020, GSA issued the RFP, through GSA e-Buy,[1] to firms holding contracts under GSA’s One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services (OASIS) Small Business (SB) Pool 5B indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract, pursuant to the procedures of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) subpart 16.5.  Contracting Officer’s Statement (COS) at 1; Agency Report (AR), Tab 3, RFP at 2.  GSA conducted this procurement on behalf of the Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) at Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Id. The solicitation contemplated the issuance of a fixed-price task order for a 12-month base period of performance, four 1-year options, and a 6-month option to extend services under FAR clause 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services.  Id. at 12.  The task order would address SMC/KAFB’s need for engineering, program management, and technical support services for the Rocket Systems Launch Program, which serves as the primary provider of launch activities for the space research and development community supporting national security objectives and missile defense programs.  Id. at 2. The solicitation provided that award would be made on a best-value tradeoff basis, considering technical capability and cost/price.  Id. at 87.  The technical capability factor consisted of three, equally-weighted elements:  corporate experience, staffing plan, and scenario response.[2]  Id.  The RFP advised that the rating for the technical capability factor would be based on the overall evaluation of all elements; i.e., there would not be separate ratings for each element.[3]  Id.  The technical capability factor would be significantly more important than cost/price.  Id.  By the solicitation’s January 19, 2021 closing date, GSA received five proposals.  AR, Tab 7, Award Decision at 3.  Thirty-eight days after submitting its proposal, Millennium informed the agency that it had been acquired by QuantiTech LLC, its business structure was being converted to a limited liability company, and its name had changed to Millennium Engineering and Integration LLC.[4]  AR, Tab 4, Letter from Millennium to Agency at 1.  In its letter, Millennium stated that although it no longer qualified as a small business as a result of the change in control, it was still eligible for task orders set aside for small businesses, absent an order-specific recertification requirement.  Id.