ICON Government and Public Health Solutions, Inc. (W81XWH21R0078)

B-419751 Jul 02, 2021 Jump To VIEW DECISION DOWNLOADS RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights ICON Government and Public Health Solutions, Inc., of Hinckley, Ohio, protests the award of a contract to General Dynamics Information Technology, Inc. (GDIT), of Falls Church, Virginia, under request for proposals (RFP) No. W81XWH21R0078, issued by the Department of the Army, U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command's Office of Regulated Activities, for regulatory consultation and other support services. The protester challenges the agency's evaluation of the firm's technical proposal. The protester also contends that the agency made award on a lowest-priced, technically acceptable basis, contrary to the solicitation, which established a best-value tradeoff selection methodology. 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:  ICON Government and Public Health Solutions, Inc. File:  B-419751 Date:  July 2, 2021 J. Bradley Reaves, Esq., and Beth V. McMahon, Esq., ReavesColey, PLLC, for the protester. Noah B. Bleicher, Esq., Carla J. Weiss, Esq., and Moshe B. Broder, Esq., Jenner & Block, LLP, for General Dynamics Information Technology, Inc., the intervenor. Captain Philip L. Aubart, Department of the Army, for the agency. Heather Self, Esq., and Peter H. Tran, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST 1.  Protest challenging the agency’s evaluation of proposals under two of three non-price evaluation factors is denied because the allegations reflect the protester’s disagreements with the agency’s evaluation judgments and the record reflects the evaluation was reasonable and consistent with the solicitation. 2.  Protest that agency improperly failed to conduct a best-value tradeoff is denied; when an agency selects the highest technically rated, lowest‑priced proposal for award, a tradeoff is not required. DECISION   ICON Government and Public Health Solutions, Inc., of Hinckley, Ohio, protests the award of a contract to General Dynamics Information Technology, Inc. (GDIT), of Falls Church, Virginia, under request for proposals (RFP) No. W81XWH21R0078, issued by the Department of the Army, U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command’s Office of Regulated Activities, for regulatory consultation and other support services.  The protester challenges the agency’s evaluation of the firm’s technical proposal.  The protester also contends that the agency made award on a lowest-priced, technically acceptable basis, contrary to the solicitation, which established a best-value tradeoff selection methodology. We deny the protest. BACKGROUND The U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command “is the Army’s premier medical material developer responsible for medical research, development, acquisition, and medical logistics management.”  Agency Report (AR), Tab 3, RFP at 2.[1]  This Command executes work such as investigating “medical solutions for the battlefield with a focus on various areas of biomedical research, including military infectious diseases, combat casualty care, military operational medicine, medical chemical and biological defense, and clinical and rehabilitative medicine.”  Id.  Within this Command, the Office of Regulated Activities “provides regulatory support for [Department of Defense] drug, biologic, device, and combination products from product concept to products in the advanced development pipeline.”  Id.  The Office of Regulated Activities’ work includes provision of “regulatory strategy and advice, data management, pharmacovigilance, biostatistics, product technical services and support, clinical monitoring, regulatory, publishing, and submissions to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).”  Id. The agency issued the solicitation on December 22, 2020, using the best-value tradeoff procedures of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) part 15.  RFP at 1‑2.  The solicitation sought proposals for the provision of regulatory consultation, regulatory oversight, and contract research organization support services to the Office of Regulated Activities.  Id. at 2.  The services to be provided include “administrative, financial, clinical, nonclinical, manufacturing and regulatory support for drugs, biologics, and devices within an integrated product team framework. . . .”  Id.  The solicitation contemplated award of a single indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract with a 5-year ordering period, five 1-year option periods, a minimum guarantee of $1 million over the life of the contract, and a maximum ordering limit of $95 million for the entire ordering period.  RFP at 1, 3.  The agency may issue fixed‑price and time-and-materials task orders under the resulting IDIQ contract.  Id.