Vectrus-J&J Facilities Support, LLC (N62742-21-R-3507)

B-420539.7 Mar 20, 2024 Jump To VIEW DECISION DOWNLOADS RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights Vectrus-J&J Facilities Support LLC (VJFS), of Colorado Springs, Colorado, protests the award of a contract to Amentum Services Inc., of Chantilly, Virginia, under request for proposals (RFP) No. N62742-21-R-3507, issued by the Department of the Navy, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, for multi-function operations support services at various locations in the Philippines and other locations in Asia and Oceania. The protester contends that the agency's cost realism evaluation was unreasonable and undocumented. We deny the protest in part and dismiss it 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: Vectrus-J&J Facilities Support, LLC File: B-420539.7 Date: March 20, 2024 Adam K. Lasky, Esq., Amy C. Hoang, Esq., Stephanie B Magnell, Esq., and Sarah E. Barney, Esq., Seyfarth Shaw LLP, for the protester. Kevin P. Connelly, Esq., Kelly E. Buroker, Esq., Jeffrey M. Lowry, Esq., and Michael P. Ols, Esq., Vedder Price PC, for Amentum Services, Inc., the intervenor. Arun Limani, Esq., Department of the Navy, for the agency. Christopher Alwood, Esq., and Alexander O. Levine, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST 1. Protest challenging agency’s cost realism evaluation is denied where the agency’s cost realism methodology was reasonable and consistent with the solicitation’s evaluation criteria. 2. Protest challenging the sufficiency and documentation of the agency’s cost realism evaluation is dismissed as untimely where the protester could have and should have raised the protest ground during a prior protest. DECISION Vectrus-J&J Facilities Support LLC (VJFS), of Colorado Springs, Colorado, protests the award of a contract to Amentum Services Inc., of Chantilly, Virginia, under request for proposals (RFP) No. N62742-21-R-3507, issued by the Department of the Navy, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, for multi-function operations support services at various locations in the Philippines and other locations in Asia and Oceania.[1] The protester contends that the agency’s cost realism evaluation was unreasonable and undocumented. We deny the protest in part and dismiss it in part. BACKGROUND On May 3, 2021, the Navy issued the solicitation in accordance with the procedures of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) part 15, seeking proposals to provide for multi-function operations support services at various locations in the Philippines and other locations in Asia and Oceania. Contracting Officer’s Statement and Memorandum of Law (COS/MOL) at 1; Agency Report (AR), Exh. 1, RFP at 1‑3.[2] The solicitation contemplated the award, on a best‑value tradeoff basis, of a cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for a 3-month mobilization period, a 9‑month base period, four 12‑month option periods, and one 3‑month demobilization period. RFP at 2, 4‑8, 93. The solicitation advised offerors that the agency would evaluate proposals considering cost and four non‑cost factors: past performance, corporate experience, technical approach, and safety. Id. at 93‑98. The solicitation provided that the corporate experience, technical approach, and safety factors were of equal importance and, when combined, were of equal importance to the past performance factor. Id. at 93. The non-cost factors, when combined, were significantly more important than cost. Id. The performance work statement (PWS) organized the provided services into 17 annexes.[3] AR, Exh. 15, PWS at 2. As relevant here, the RFP required offerors to propose a staffing level, basis of estimate, and methodology, to accomplish the requirements for each annex. RFP at 92. Additionally, cost proposals were to contain “a complete detailed cost breakdown” for each contract period, by both cost element and annex. Id. at 85. For the evaluation of cost realism, the solicitation stated: Cost [r]ealism will be evaluated based on the cost information provided in support of the proposed costs to determine whether the estimated proposed cost elements are realistic for the work to be performed; reflect a clear understanding of the requirements; are consistent with the various elements of the Offerors Non-Cost (Technical) proposal; and are neither excessive nor insufficient for the effort to be accomplished. Id. at 93‑94. The agency received initial proposals from three offerors, including Amentum and VJFS. COS/MOL, B‑420539, et al., March 18, 2022, at 7. Following the evaluation of initial proposals, the agency established a competitive range and conducted discussions with all three offerors. Id. at 7‑8. All three offerors submitted timely final proposal revisions (FPR) by November 18, 2021. Id. at 8. On January 27, 2022, the Navy awarded the contract to Amentum.