Superior Optical Labs, Inc. (36C24221R0056)

B-420428,B-420428.2 Mar 14, 2022 Jump To FULL REPORT VIEW DECISION RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights Superior Optical Labs, Inc., of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, protests the award of a contract to PDS Consultants, Inc., of Sparta, New Jersey, under request for proposals (RFP) No. 36C24221R0056, issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for prescription eyeglasses. The protester contends that the agency's evaluation of PDS's proposal was unreasonable. 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:  Superior Optical Labs, Inc. File:  B-420428; B-420428.2 Date:   March 14, 2022 John E. McCarthy, Jr., Esq., and Zachary H. Schroeder, Esq., Crowell & Moring LLP; and Elizabeth Haws Connally, Esq., Connally Law, PLLC, for the protester. David S. Gallacher, Esq., Emily S. Theriault, Esq., and Adam A. Bartolanzo, Esq., Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP, for PDS Consultants, Inc., an intervenor. Natica Chapman Neely, Esq., Department of Veterans Affairs, for the agency. Christine Milne, Esq., Scott H. Riback, Esq., and Tania Calhoun, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST Protest challenging agency’s evaluation of awardee’s proposal is denied where record shows that the evaluation was reasonable and consistent with the terms of the solicitation and applicable statutes and regulations. DECISION Superior Optical Labs, Inc., of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, protests the award of a contract to PDS Consultants, Inc., of Sparta, New Jersey, under request for proposals (RFP) No. 36C24221R0056, issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for prescription eyeglasses.  The protester contends that the agency’s evaluation of PDS’s proposal was unreasonable.  We deny the protest. BACKGROUND The RFP is for the provision of prescription eyeglasses within the Veterans Integrated Service Network for New York/New Jersey upstate area (VISN 2) and contemplates the award of a single fixed-price indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract with a 1-year base period and four 1-year option periods.  RFP at 54-55, 134.  The RFP provided that award would be made on a best-value tradeoff basis, considering price and offeror experience, with experience being more important than price.  Id. at 132-133.[1] The RFP provided that the agency would evaluate each offeror’s manufacturing experience under the experience factor based on a narrative description and references to prior contracts included in their technical proposals.  RFP at 133.  Proposals were to be assigned adjectival ratings of good, satisfactory, marginal, and unsatisfactory.  Agency Report (AR), exh. 2, Source Selection Decision Document (SSDD) at 4.  Price was to be evaluated for reasonableness.  RFP at 135.  The agency received a number of proposals, including those from Superior and PDS.  AR, exh. 2, SSDD at 2.  Proposals were evaluated first by a source selection evaluation board (SSEB), and thereafter by the source selection authority (SSA), who assigned final ratings.  Superior’s proposal was rated good under the experience factor and PDS’s proposal (which was initially assigned a rating of good by the SSEB), was assigned a final rating of satisfactory.  Id. at 7.  Superior’s total evaluated price was $8,373,375, while PDS’s was $3,726,705.  Id. at 9.  On the basis of these evaluation results, the agency made award to PDS, concluding that PDS’s proposal offered the best value to the government.  Id.