Manhattan Telecommunications Corporation, LLC ()

B-423414,B-423414.2 Jun 30, 2025 Jump To FULL REPORT VIEW DECISION RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights Manhattan Telecommunications Corporation, LLC (MetTel), a small business of New York, New York, protests the actions of the Social Security Administration (SSA) in procuring telecommunications services, including toll-free telephone numbers. MetTel, a contractor currently providing telecommunication services to SSA, contends that SSA improperly issued a sole-source task order for such services without notice or justification in violation of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). MetTel also argues that the agency improperly terminated the task order under which the protester provides telecommunications services to SSA. We dismiss 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: Manhattan Telecommunications Corporation, LLC File: B-423414; B-423414.2 Date: June 30, 2025 Thomas K. David, Esq., Lewis P. Rhodes, Esq., and Katherine A. David, Esq., Reston Law Group, LLP, for the protester. David S. Cohen, Esq., John J. O'Brien, Esq., and Rhina M. Cardenal, Esq., Cordatis LLP, for Four Points Technology LLC, the intervenor. Dorothy M. Guy, Esq., Marisa Silverman, Esq., Alice Somers, Esq., and Ryan M. Warrenfeltz, Esq., Social Security Administration, for the agency. Sarah T. Zaffina, Esq., and Jennifer D. Westfall‑McGrail, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST Protester is not an interested party to challenge the issuance of a task order against a General Services Administration schedule contract when the protester does not hold a schedule contract for the commercial cloud services sought by the agency. DECISION Manhattan Telecommunications Corporation, LLC (MetTel), a small business of New York, New York, protests the actions of the Social Security Administration (SSA) in procuring telecommunications services, including toll‑free telephone numbers. MetTel, a contractor currently providing telecommunication services to SSA, contends that SSA improperly issued a sole-source task order for such services without notice or justification in violation of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). MetTel also argues that the agency improperly terminated the task order under which the protester provides telecommunications services to SSA. We dismiss the protest. BACKGROUND MetTel currently provides telecommunications services, including toll‑free services, to SSA pursuant to task order No. 28321320FDX030010, issued under the General Services Administration (GSA) Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) schedule contract.[1] Agency Report (AR), Exh. 9, Grand SLLAM (SSA's Local and Long distance Access Management) Task Order at 1, 36.[2] The task order, issued on February 4, 2020, and referred to as the Grand SLLAM task order, was the result of SSA's consolidation of telephony services contract vehicles and locally purchased services into a single EIS task order. Id. at 36. The task order has a base period of 1‑year and up to 12 option years; the most recent option year is set to end on February 3, 2026. Id. at 9‑10. As relevant to this protest, under the Grand SLLAM task order, SSA pays MetTel for the agency's actual use of toll-free services and is not required to obtain the services exclusively from MetTel. Id. at 17‑35, 98‑99; see also Contracting Officer's Statement and Memorandum of Law (COS/MOL) at 6. On March 21, 2025, MetTel contacted the agency and noted that it had just been informed that “all Toll‑Free services are moving away from MetTel and are moving to [Amazon Web Services (AWS)].” Protest exh. A, Emails Between Protester and Agency, Mar. 21‑25, 2025 at 3 (quoting protester's request to meet with the agency to discuss service changes); see also Protest at 3‑4. Although MetTel pressed SSA for more information about the change, none was forthcoming. On March 25, MetTel filed a protest with our Office complaining that SSA had partially cancelled its contract to provide toll‑free services and made a sole-source award to AWS without publicizing or justifying its decision. Protest at 4‑6. During development of the protest, SSA advised that it is currently obtaining the required toll-free services through an existing blanket purchase agreement (BPA) for AWS cloud computing services with Four Points Technology LLC (Four Points). First Req. for Dismissal, Apr. 4, 2025 at 2. SSA explained that it established BPA No. 28321321A00040003 with Four Points on December 22, 2020, to provide the agency with access to “commercial cloud service providers (CSP) to support the development and delivery of business services to the public and SSA technicians,” including AWS. See AR, Exh. 1, Four Points BPA at 1, 4‑5; see also First Req. for Dismissal, Exh.