PingWind, inc. (PANROC-24-P-0000-002514)

B-423141 Feb 05, 2025 Jump To VIEW DECISION DOWNLOADS RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights PingWind, Inc. a small business of Annandale, Virginia, protests the issuance of a task order to Bravura Information Technology Systems, Inc., (Bravura), a women-owned, minority-owned, small disadvantaged business of Aberdeen, Maryland, under task order reference No. 497699, issued by the Department of the Army, U.S. Army Contracting Command, for cybersecurity services. The protester challenges the agency's evaluation of the awardee's staffing plan, the price analysis, and best-value tradeoff determination. We deny the protest. View Decision Decision Matter of: PingWind, inc. File: B-423141 Date: February 5, 2025 David B. Dixon, Esq., John E. Jensen, Esq., Toghrul M. Shukurlu, Esq., and Alexis P. Landrum, Esq., Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, for the protester. Christian B. Nagel, Esq., Jeremy D. Burkhart, Esq., Sean Belanger, Esq., and Bailey C. McHale, Esq., Holland & Knight LLP, for Bravura Information Technology Systems, Inc., for the intervenor. Kelly Sledgister-Stehle, Esq., and Debra J. Talley, Esq., Department of the Army, for the agency. Janis R. Millete, Esq., and John Sorrenti, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST 1. Protest challenging the agency’s evaluation of the awardee’s staffing plan is denied where the record demonstrates the agency reasonably assessed a strength to the awardee’s staffing plan. 2. Protest challenging agency’s price analysis is denied where the record shows that the price evaluation was reasonable and consistent with the solicitation. 3. Protest that the agency failed to conduct a proper best-value tradeoff analysis is denied where the record demonstrates that the agency considered the relative merits of the offerors’ proposals in its source selection decision and protester otherwise fails to demonstrate that the tradeoff was unreasonable. DECISION PingWind, Inc. a small business of Annandale, Virginia, protests the issuance of a task order to Bravura Information Technology Systems, Inc., (Bravura), a women-owned, minority-owned, small disadvantaged business of Aberdeen, Maryland, under task order reference No. 497699, issued by the Department of the Army, U.S. Army Contracting Command, for cybersecurity services. The protester challenges the agency’s evaluation of the awardee’s staffing plan, the price analysis, and best-value tradeoff determination. We deny the protest. BACKGROUND On June 17, 2024, the Army issued the task order request (TOR) as a total small business set-aside to all contract holders of the Army’s computer hardware, enterprise software and solutions information technology (IT) enterprise solutions 3 services multiple-award, indefinite‑delivery, indefinite‑quantity (IDIQ) contract. Agency Report (AR), Tab 8a, TOR at 1-2; Contracting Officer’s Statement and Memorandum of Law (COS/MOL) at 1-2.[1] The procurement was conducted in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) subpart 16.5 and sought a variety of cyber security support and associated IT services for the Army’s human resources command located at Fort Knox, Kentucky. TOR at 8; AR, Tab 8, Performance Work Statement (PWS) at 7-10.[2] The solicitation contemplated issuance of a task order with fixed-price and cost-reimbursable contract line item numbers (CLINs) for a 1-year base period, four additional 1-year option periods, and an option to extend period.[3] TOR at 1‑2, 9. The solicitation established that award would be based on a best-value tradeoff considering four factors: security requirements, technical, management, and cost/price. TOR at 22-23. As relevant here, under the management factor, offerors had to propose a staffing plan that demonstrated the offeror’s understanding of the PWS and identified labor categories and total number of hours for each category, among other information. Id. at 16. The solicitation provided that the security requirements factor would be evaluated as acceptable or unacceptable with unacceptable offerors excluded from further consideration. Id. at 23. The technical and management factors would each be assigned one of the following adjectival ratings: outstanding, good, acceptable, marginal, or unacceptable. Id. at 24-25. The technical and management factors were of equal importance and were more important than the cost/price factor. Id. at 23. As the non-price factors equalized, the solicitation established that price would become “more important in the best value analysis.” Id. at 23-24. The Army received and evaluated four proposals under the TOR, to include proposals from the protester and the awardee. COS/MOL at 2.