FreeAlliance.com, LLC (N0042121R3001)

B-420000.3,B-420000.4,B-420000.5,B-420000.6,B-420000.7 Jun 28, 2022 Jump To FULL REPORT VIEW DECISION RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights FreeAlliance.com, LLC, a woman-owned small business of McLean, Virginia, protests the issuance of a task order to Perrygo Consulting Group, LLC, a small business of Lexington Park, Maryland, under request for proposals (RFP) No. N0042121R3001, issued by the Department of the Navy, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), for enterprise-wide information technology services. The protester contends that the agency's evaluation of proposals and best-value tradeoff decision were improper. 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: FreeAlliance.com, LLC File: B-420000.3; B-420000.4; B-420000.5; B-420000.6; B-420000.7 Date: June 28, 2022 Jon Levin, Esq., W. Brad English, Esq., and Emily J. Chancey, Esq., Maynard Cooper & Gale, PC, for the protester. Jonathan T. Williams, Esq., Katherine B. Burrows, Esq., Jacqueline K. Unger, Esq., and Patrick T. Rothwell, Esq., Piliero Mazza PLLC, for Perrygo Consulting Group, LLC, the intervenor. Heather Norris, Esq., and Cristina Costa de Almeida, Esq., Department of the Navy, for the agency. Samantha S. Lee, Esq., Peter H. Tran, Esq., and Tania Calhoun, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST 1. Protest challenging the agency’s post-corrective action evaluation because it was significantly different from an earlier evaluation is denied where the source selection authority documented the basis for reconciling the difference. 2. Protest challenging the agency’s evaluation of proposals is denied where the agency’s evaluation was reasonable, consistent with the stated evaluation criteria, and adequately documented. DECISION FreeAlliance.com, LLC, a woman-owned small business of McLean, Virginia, protests the issuance of a task order to Perrygo Consulting Group, LLC, a small business of Lexington Park, Maryland, under request for proposals (RFP) No. N0042121R3001, issued by the Department of the Navy, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), for enterprise-wide information technology services. The protester contends that the agency’s evaluation of proposals and best-value tradeoff decision were improper. We deny the protest. BACKGROUND The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) is a component command of NAVAIR. NAVAIR, https://www.navair.navy.mil/organization/NAVAIR (last visited June 21, 2022). NAWCAD is composed of multiple groups, including the Digital, Analytics, Infrastructure and Technology Advancement Group (DAiTA). DAiTA’s responsibilities include the Digital Networks Applications (DNA) department, which provides the people, processes, technologies, skills, knowledge, and abilities necessary to support information technology (IT) and cybersecurity planning, management, and development. DAiTA Brief (Oct. 2021);[1] Agency Report (AR), Exh. 1, RFP at 43.[2] The solicitation seeks enterprise-wide IT services in support of NAWCAD DNA. RFP at 43. The RFP was issued on October 29, 2020, under the Navy’s SeaPort NxG multiple-award indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract, pursuant to the procedures of Federal Acquisition Regulation part 16. Id. at 1. The Navy issued the RFP as a small business set-aside for a cost-plus-fixed-fee task order with a 1-year base period and four 1-year option periods. Id. at 14-15, 85. Award would be based on a best-value tradeoff, considering two evaluation factors, technical and cost, with the technical factor being significantly more important than cost. Id. at 96-98. Within the technical factor, there were three “elements,” which were neither rated nor weighted: (1) understanding of the requirement; (2) key personnel resumes; and (3) management plan. Id. at 97-98. Though not rated, the agency would make positive and negative findings for the understanding of the requirement and management plan elements. Id. The key personnel resumes element would be evaluated on a pass/fail basis. The technical factor would be assigned an overall adjectival rating (i.e., good, acceptable, or unacceptable). The agency received proposals from 11 offerors, including FreeAlliance and Perrygo, by the December 9, 2020, deadline for receipt of proposals. AR, Exh. 2, Source Selection Authority Decision (SSAD) at 2. Only FreeAlliance, Perrygo, and one other offeror received a rating of pass for their key personnel resumes from the technical evaluation team (TET). AR, Exh.