Silent Falcon UAS Technologies (FA8051-24-R-4004)

B-422964 Dec 18, 2024 Jump To VIEW DECISION DOWNLOADS RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights Bye UAS, Inc., doing business as Silent Falcon UAS Technologies (Silent Falcon), of McLean, Virginia, protests the issuance of a purchase order to Chimborazo JV, of Kennesaw, Georgia, under request for quotations (RFQ) No. FA8051-24-R-4004, issued by the Department of the Air Force for pavement condition index (PCI) evaluations and corresponding analyses and reports. The protester primarily argues that the agency unreasonably evaluated its quotation. We deny the protest. View Decision Decision Matter of: Bye UAS, Inc. d/b/a Silent Falcon UAS Technologies File: B-422964 Date: December 18, 2024 Grant Bishop, Bye UAS, Inc. d/b/a Silent Falcon UAS Technologies, for the protester. Colonel Nina Padalino, Siobhan K. Donahue, Esq., Karen S. White, Esq., William Fuller, Esq., and Erika Whelan Retta, Esq., Department of the Air Force, for the agency. Christine Milne, Esq., and Tania Calhoun, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST Protest that the agency unreasonably evaluated the protester’s quotation is denied where the record shows the agency evaluated the quotation in accordance with the terms of the solicitation. DECISION Bye UAS, Inc., doing business as Silent Falcon UAS Technologies (Silent Falcon), of McLean, Virginia, protests the issuance of a purchase order to Chimborazo JV, of Kennesaw, Georgia, under request for quotations (RFQ) No. FA8051-24-R-4004, issued by the Department of the Air Force for pavement condition index (PCI) evaluations and corresponding analyses and reports. The protester primarily argues that the agency unreasonably evaluated its quotation. We deny the protest. BACKGROUND On July 22, 2024, the Air Force issued the RFQ pursuant to the procedures of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) part 12, Acquisition of Commercial Products and Commercial Services, and FAR subpart 13.5, Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Products and Commercial Services. Agency Report (AR), Tab 4, RFQ at 1. The RFQ, which was set aside for small business concerns, sought quotations for a contractor to provide airfield, roads, and PCI evaluations and corresponding analyses and reports for various Air Force installations. Id. at 2. The contractor will provide technical expertise, labor, travel, and all materials required to verify and update the pavement inventory and conduct PCI inspections to document specific distress on the airfields, roads, and parking areas at the installations. Id. As part of this effort the contractor will update the PAVERTM pavement maintenance management system database and reconcile any differences between PAVER and an installation’s real property asset database (RPAD). Performance Work Statement (PWS) at ¶ 4.1.1. Award was to be made to the vendor whose quotation represented the best value to the government considering three evaluation factors: technical, past performance, and price. RFQ at 4. The technical factor was comprised of four subfactors, the first of which was technical management approach. Id. As relevant here, the technical management approach subfactor required vendors to propose a technical plan demonstrating their understanding of the PWS requirements and how they will be accomplished. Id. at 5. Under the technical subfactor, quotations would be assigned a combined technical/risk rating of blue/outstanding, purple/good, green/acceptable, yellow/marginal, or red/unacceptable. Id. at 5-6. For the remaining technical subfactors and the past performance factor, quotations would be evaluated as acceptable or unacceptable. Id. Price would be evaluated for reasonableness. Id. The RFQ also provided that the government may trade off price for a vendor’s superior offering under the technical management approach subfactor. Id. at 4. Nine quotations were received by the solicitation’s August 12 closing date, including those from Chimborazo and Silent Falcon. Contracting Officer’s Statement (COS) at 4-5. The agency evaluated the quoted prices and found that 8 were reasonable, including those of Chimborazo and Silent Falcon. Id. at 5. Chimborazo’s quotation was the lowest-priced at $1,986,911, and Silent Falcon’s was second-lowest at $2,078,098. Id. Chimborazo’s quotation was evaluated as green/acceptable under the technical management approach subfactor, with no identified strengths, weaknesses, or deficiencies. AR, Tab 7, Technical Evaluation at 9-10. The firm’s quotation was rated acceptable under the remaining technical subfactors and under the past performance factor. Id. at 10-11. Several other vendors were also rated green/acceptable under the technical management approach subfactor with acceptable ratings under the remaining technical subfactors and under the past performance factor.