MANDEX Inc. (N6523622R3030)

B-421664,B-421664.2,B-421664.3 Aug 16, 2023 Jump To FULL REPORT VIEW DECISION RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights MANDEX, Inc., a service-disabled veteran-owned small business of Fairfax, Virginia, protests the Department of the Navy, Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic's issuance of a task order to Imagine One Technology & Management, Ltd., of Lexington Park, Maryland. The Navy issued the task order under request for task order proposals (RFP) No. N6523622R3030, for Marine Air Ground Task Force Command and Control Systems and Applications (MC2SA) engineering support. MANDEX argues that the agency's evaluation of proposals and resulting award decision were improper. We sustain 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: MANDEX, Inc. File: B-421664; B-421664.2; B-421664.3 Date: August 16, 2023 Scott F. Lane, Esq., Jayna Marie Rust, Esq., and Katherine S. Nucci, Esq., Thompson Coburn LLP, for the protester. John R. Tolle, Esq., Baker, Cronogue, Tolle & Werfel, LLP, for Imagine One Technology & Management, Ltd., the intervenor. Stephanie Beaty, Esq., Department of the Navy, for the agency. Samantha S. Lee, Esq., and Peter H. Tran, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST 1. Protest that the awardee had unequal access to information and impaired objectivity organizational conflicts of interest is sustained where the record shows that the agency unreasonably concluded there was no possibility of any potential conflicts arising from the performance of a related task order. 2. Protest challenging the agency’s evaluations of technical proposals and costs is denied where the evaluations were reasonable and consistent with the stated evaluation criteria. DECISION MANDEX, Inc., a service-disabled veteran-owned small business of Fairfax, Virginia, protests the Department of the Navy, Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic’s issuance of a task order to Imagine One Technology & Management, Ltd., of Lexington Park, Maryland. The Navy issued the task order under request for task order proposals (RFP) No. N6523622R3030, for Marine Air Ground Task Force Command and Control Systems and Applications (MC2SA) engineering support. MANDEX argues that the agency’s evaluation of proposals and resulting award decision were improper. We sustain the protest. BACKGROUND The mission of the Navy’s NIWC Atlantic command is to conduct research, development, prototyping, engineering, test and evaluation, installation, and sustainment of integrated information warfare capabilities and services across all warfighting domains to drive innovation and information advantage. See Contracting Officer’s Statement and Memorandum of Law (COS/MOL) at 3. Within NIWC Atlantic, the MC2SA integrated product team is focused on delivering unique, timely, and effective solutions to the warfighter to enable situational awareness, enhance decision making, and increase lethality. Agency Report (AR), Tab 2, RFP at 12.[1] The purpose of the procurement here is to secure engineering support for MC2SA in a variety of functional areas, with primary services in software development, integration, test and evaluation, and cybersecurity. Id. at 11-12. The RFP was issued on September 14, 2022, to holders of the Navy’s SeaPort Next Generation (NxG) multiple-award indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract, pursuant to the procedures of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) part 16. COS/MOL at 3. The solicitation was issued as a small business set-aside, and the RFP contemplated the issuance of a cost-plus-fixed-fee, level-of-effort, and cost task order with a 1-year base period and four 1-year option periods. RFP at 67, 98. The solicitation established that award would be made on a best-value tradeoff basis, considering three evaluation factors: technical understanding (technical), software development plan, and cost.[2] Id. at 113. The technical factor was significantly more important than cost. Within the technical factor, there were four subfactors, listed in descending order of importance: (1) engineering support; (2) test and evaluation; (3) cybersecurity/information assurance support (cybersecurity); and (4) requirements management support. Id. at 115-17. Each subfactor, as well as the overall technical factor, would be assigned an adjectival rating of outstanding, good, acceptable, marginal, or unacceptable. Id. at 114, 117. The agency received proposals from seven offerors, including MANDEX and Imagine One, by the October 14 deadline for receipt of proposals. COS/MOL at 4.