GovTranz National, LLC (36C24725R0001)

B-423249 Mar 25, 2025 Jump To VIEW DECISION DOWNLOADS RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights GovTranz, LLC, a service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) of Salt Lake City, Utah, protests the rejection of its proposal by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) under request for proposals (RFP) No. 36C24725R0001 for ground wheelchair transportation services. The protester argues that the agency unreasonably rejected its proposal for failing to include prices for certain contract line item numbers (CLIN). The protester also asserts that the agency should have entered into clarifications with GovTranz regarding the missing CLIN information and contends that the VA should have consulted the Small Business Administration (SBA) prior to rejecting its proposal. We deny the protest. View Decision Decision Matter of: GovTranz, LLC File: B-423249 Date: March 25, 2025 Stephanie L. Ellis, Esq., Nicole D. Pottroff, Esq., Shane J. McCall, Esq., John L. Holtz, Esq., Annie E. Birney, Esq., and Gregory P. Weber, Esq., Koprince McCall Pottroff LLC; and William Weisberg, Esq., Law Offices of William Weisberg PLLC, for the protester. Deborah K. Morrell, Esq., Department of Veterans Affairs, for the agency. Hannah G. Barnes, Esq., and Christina Sklarew, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST 1. Protester challenging the agency’s rejection of its proposal is denied where the protester failed to include information in its proposal required by the solicitation and where the agency’s evaluation was reasonable and consistent with the solicitation. 2. Protest challenging the agency’s failure to engage in clarifications and resulting rejection of protester’s proposal is denied where the agency did not have a duty to engage in clarifications. 3. Protest alleging that the agency was required to refer the protester to the Small Business Administration for a certificate of competency is denied where the agency rejected the protester’s proposal for failure to submit required information, which did not constitute a responsibility type determination. DECISION GovTranz, LLC, a service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) of Salt Lake City, Utah, protests the rejection of its proposal by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) under request for proposals (RFP) No. 36C24725R0001 for ground wheelchair transportation services. The protester argues that the agency unreasonably rejected its proposal for failing to include prices for certain contract line item numbers (CLIN). The protester also asserts that the agency should have entered into clarifications with GovTranz regarding the missing CLIN information and contends that the VA should have consulted the Small Business Administration (SBA) prior to rejecting its proposal. We deny the protest. BACKGROUND The RFP, issued on July 18, 2024, as a small business set-aside, seeks ground wheelchair transportation services for patients of the Joseph Maxwell Cleland Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Agency Report (AR), Tab 3, RFP at 1, 5; Contracting Officer’s Statement (COS) at 1. The RFP provided for award on a best-value tradeoff basis, “to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous” to the agency, considering two primary factors: experience and price.[1] RFP at 73-74, 76. Specifically, the solicitation advises that the experience factor will be used to assess each offeror’s experience in “providing contracted ground wheelchair transportation services to patients,” while the agency will assess each offeror’s price proposal for reasonableness under the price factor. Id. at 76. With respect to the price proposals, the RFP instructs offerors to “complete and submit the price schedule in section B.3” of the solicitation and warns that “[n]o other format shall be accepted.” Id. at 73. Further, as relevant here, the solicitation cautions offerors that “[f]ailure to comply with ALL criteria as set forth by the solicitation and ALL documentation requested [on] this basis of award will result in your proposal being rejected and therefore not evaluated.” Id. On September 6, the agency posted the first and only amendment to the RFP, which provided responses to interested vendor questions. COS at 1. As relevant here, in response to offerors’ questions concerning wait times,[2] the amendment added CLINs that allow the contractor to bill for its time spent waiting when providing a scheduled transport. Tab 4, RFP amend. 1 at 1. For example, one offeror requested “a separate CLIN for wait times in 15 minute[] increments exceeding the 30 minute grace period,” to which the agency responded that it added CLINs 0006, 1006, 2006, 3006, and 4006 to the price schedule “for wait times to be billed in ¼ hour increments.” Id. at 2.