The Ambit Group, LLC (70CTD021Q00000134)

B-420079 Nov 19, 2021 Jump To VIEW DECISION DOWNLOADS RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights The Ambit Group, LLC (Ambit), of Vienna, Virginia, protests the terms of request for quotations (RFQ) No. 70CTD021Q00000134, issued by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), for design development and data analytics for ICE's Repository for Analytics in Virtualized Environment ("RAVEN") program. Ambit further challenges ICE's evaluation and elimination of its quotation from the competition. The protester contends that the terms of the RFQ are unduly restrictive of competition, and the agency's evaluation of its quotation is unreasonable and unfair. We deny the protest in part, and dismiss the protest in part. 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:  The Ambit Group, LLC File:  B-420079 Date:  November 19, 2021 Terry L. Elling, Esq., Kelsey M. Hayes, Esq., and Jeremy D. Burkhart, Esq., Holland & Knight LLP, for the protester. Gary J. Campbell, Esq., G. Matthew Koehl, Esq., and Lidiya Kurin, Esq., Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP, for Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., the intervenor. Gabriel E. Kennon, Esq., and Andrew M. Wagner, Esq., Department of Homeland Security, for the agency. Charmaine A. Stevenson, Esq., and John Sorrenti, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST 1.  Protest alleging that a solicitation’s key personnel requirements are unreasonable and unduly restrictive of competition is denied where the agency has demonstrated that the requirements are not unduly restrictive, but rather reasonably limited to the agency’s minimum needs. 2.  Protest is dismissed where the protester’s quotation was rated as “no-go” under the solicitation’s threshold key personnel factor, and the protester did not challenge all of the bases for the agency’s no-go rating and elimination of its quotation from the competition, thus failing to establish that it was competitively prejudiced. DECISION The Ambit Group, LLC (Ambit), of Vienna, Virginia, protests the terms of request for quotations (RFQ) No. 70CTD021Q00000134, issued by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), for design development and data analytics for ICE’s Repository for Analytics in Virtualized Environment (“RAVEN”) program.  Ambit further challenges ICE’s evaluation and elimination of its quotation from the competition.  The protester contends that the terms of the RFQ are unduly restrictive of competition, and the agency’s evaluation of its quotation is unreasonable and unfair. We deny the protest in part, and dismiss the protest in part. BACKGROUND The RFQ, issued on July 19, 2021, using the procedures at Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) subpart 8.4, contemplates the award of a single hybrid fixed-price and time-and-materials task order.  Agency Report (AR), Tab 27, RFQ at 1.[1]  The RAVEN platform is intended to provide expert analytic tools and services to ensure the employment of innovative analytic techniques to support criminal investigations by Homeland Security Investigations.[2]  PWS at 3.  This requirement for design development and data analytics is one of three contract vehicles that the agency is in the process of competing to support the RAVEN platform.[3]  COS at 1.  The RFQ states that quotations will be evaluated under the following factors:  key personnel; corporate experience and capability; technical demonstration; staffing plan; and price.  RFQ at 12-14.  Further, the RFQ states that the evaluation will be performed using a two-phased approach.  Id. at 15.  Under the first phase, the RFQ states that the agency will first evaluate the key personnel and corporate experience and capability factors.  Id.  Under the key personnel factor, the agency will evaluate key personnel on a “go/no-go” basis; a quotation that receives a no-go rating will not be further evaluated and will not be considered for award.  Id. at 12. The RFQ identifies four key personnel positions:  Program Manager, Architect – Lead, Senior Data Engineer – Lead, and Senior Data Scientist – Lead.  PWS at 8.  The phase one go/no-go evaluation of key personnel is to be based solely on the Senior Data Scientist – Lead position.  RFQ at 4-5, 12.  The RFQ requires vendors to submit a resume for the Senior Data Scientist – Lead that demonstrates the individual meets all the requirements of the PWS.  Id. at 4.  Quotations were due by 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on July 30.  Id.  At 4:20 p.m. on July 29, the protester filed an agency-level protest with the contracting officer, alleging that the solicitation was unduly restrictive and contained other improprieties, defects, and ambiguities.  AR, Tab 51, Ambit Agency-Level Protest.  At 9:12 a.m.