Amentum Services, Inc. (80JSC020R0034)

B-419998,B-419998.2 Oct 22, 2021 Jump To FULL REPORT VIEW DECISION RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights Amentum Services, Inc., of Germantown, Maryland, protests the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) award of a contract to PAE Applied Technologies LLC, of Fort Worth, Texas, pursuant to request for proposals (RFP) No. 80JSC020R0034, to provide operation and maintenance services for the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas. Amentum asserts that the agency failed to properly evaluate offerors' proposals with regard to past performance and mission capability, and failed to conduct meaningful discussions. 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:  Amentum Services, Inc. File:  B-419998; B-419998.2 Date:  October 22, 2021 Richard B. O’Keeffe, Jr., Esq., Gary S. Ward, Esq., William A. Roberts III, Esq., and Jennifer Eve Retener, Esq., Wiley Rein LLP, for the protester. Anuj Vohra, Esq., James G. Peyster, Esq., William B. O’Reilly, Esq., and Karla V. Perez Chacon, Esq., Crowell & Moring LLP, for PAE Applied Technologies LLC, the intervenor. Ian F. Rothfuss, Esq., Randall T. Suratt, Esq., and Zareen Iqbal, Esq., National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 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’s evaluation of proposals under the solicitation’s past performance factor was reasonable and consistent with the terms of the solicitation. 2.  Agency conducted meaningful discussions with regard to staffing where the agency provided guidance to protester regarding its initially proposed employee-to-manager ratio. 3.  Agency evaluated proposals under the solicitation’s mission suitability factor in a manner that was reasonable and consistent with the terms of the solicitation. DECISION Amentum Services, Inc., of Germantown, Maryland, protests the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) award of a contract to PAE Applied Technologies LLC, of Fort Worth, Texas, pursuant to request for proposals (RFP) No. 80JSC020R0034, to provide operation and maintenance services for the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas.  Amentum asserts that the agency failed to properly evaluate offerors’ proposals with regard to past performance and mission capability, and failed to conduct meaningful discussions.  We deny the protest. BACKGROUND On August 3, 2020, the agency issued the RFP, seeking proposals to provide operation and maintenance services at the JSC.[1]  Agency Record (AR) Tab 6, RFP at 1136‑1951.[2]  The solicitation contemplated the award of a single indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity, cost-reimbursement contract with a 2-year base performance period, a 2-year option period, and a 1-year option period.  Offerors were advised that contract award would reflect the agency’s best-value tradeoff between the following evaluation factors, listed in descending order of importance:  past performance,[3] cost/price, and mission suitability.[4]  RFP at 1159, 1389. Of relevance to this protest, the solicitation provided that the agency’s past performance evaluation would include consideration of the recency,[5] level of relevance,[6] and the offeror’s performance[7] of prior contracts.  Id. at 1927-28.  Offerors were directed to submit past performance information for up to three prior contracts, id. at 1876; in addition to that information, the solicitation provided that the agency would consider information it “independently obtained from other government and commercial sources, such as the Past Performance Information Retrieval System and similar systems . . . and other sources known to the Government.”  Id. at 1927.  On or before the September 23, 2020 closing date, initial proposals were submitted by three offerors.  Thereafter, the agency evaluated those proposals; established a competitive range consisting of Amentum and PAE; and conducted discussions with those two offerors.  In its evaluation under the past performance factor, the agency considered offeror-provided information, as well as information drawn from the contractor performance assessment reporting system (CPARS), and information known by the agency’s evaluators.  In evaluating Amentum’s past performance, the agency identified two operations and maintenance contracts in the CPARS database that Amentum had performed at the U.S.