Solutions71, LLC--Reconsideration

B-423671.3 Feb 25, 2026 Jump To VIEW DECISION DOWNLOADS RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights Solutions71, LLC, a small business of Leesburg, Virginia, requests reconsideration of our decision in Solutions71, LLC, B-423671.2, Dec. 30, 2025, in which we sustained its protest of the issuance of a task order to DDC IT Services LLC, a small business of Scottsdale, Arizona, by the Department of the Air Force, under fair opportunity proposal request (FOPR) No. FA8771-25-R-0004, for sustainment support for the agency's enterprise level geographic information system. Although we sustained the protest, we denied Solutions71's allegation that the awardee had an unfair competitive advantage, and the requester argues that this aspect of our decision contains an error of fact and law. We deny the request for reconsideration. View Decision DOCUMENT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE The decision issued on the date below was subject to a GAO Protective Order. The entire decision has been approved for public release. Decision Matter of: Solutions71, LLC--Reconsideration File: B-423671.3 Date: February 25, 2026 John R. Prairie, Esq., Mayer Brown LLP, for the requester. Colonel Justin A. Silverman, Hector M. Rivera-Hernandez, Esq., and Edward Coleman, Esq., Department of the Air Force, for the agency. Michelle Litteken, Esq., and April Y. Shields, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST Request for reconsideration is denied where the requester has not shown that our prior decision contained an error of fact or law warranting reversal or modification. DECISION Solutions71, LLC, a small business of Leesburg, Virginia, requests reconsideration of our decision in Solutions71, LLC, B-423671.2, Dec. 30, 2025, in which we sustained its protest of the issuance of a task order to DDC IT Services LLC, a small business of Scottsdale, Arizona, by the Department of the Air Force, under fair opportunity proposal request (FOPR) No. FA8771-25-R-0004, for sustainment support for the agency's enterprise level geographic information system. Although we sustained the protest, we denied Solutions71's allegation that the awardee had an unfair competitive advantage, and the requester argues that this aspect of our decision contains an error of fact and law. We deny the request for reconsideration. BACKGROUND On November 5, 2024, pursuant to the procedures of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) subpart 16.5, the agency issued the FOPR under the General Services Administration's 8(a) Streamlined Technology Acquisition Resources for Services (STARS) III governmentwide acquisition contract.[1] Agency Report (AR), Tab 28, FOPR at 1.[2] The agency sought “support necessary to maintain/enhance the fielded baselines (software, technical, and online repositories), Help Desk Tier II, and III services, and Data Stewarding activities necessary to sustain the Geospatial Engineering Operations Mapping and Analysis Portal (GEOMAP) application and its components.” Id. at 7. Following the submission and evaluation of proposals, the agency selected DDC IT's proposal for award, and on June 9, 2025, the Air Force notified Solutions71 of its source selection decision. Contracting Officer's Statement (COS) at 4; AR, Tab 4, Fair Opportunity Decision Document (FODD) at 12. Solutions71 filed a timely protest with our Office on June 25, contending that the Air Force's award to DDC IT was improper due to various conflicts of interest. AR, Tab 10, Prior Protest Pleading, B‑423671, June 25, 2025, at 3.  In response to the protest, the contracting officer determined that an organizational conflict of interest (OCI) investigation was necessary and requested that GAO dismiss the protest based on the agency's proposed corrective action. AR, Tab 11, Notice of Corrective Action at 1. Accordingly, our Office dismissed the protest as academic. Solutions71, LLC, B-423671, July 15, 2025 (unpublished decision). After the contracting officer completed the OCI investigation and determined that no OCIs existed, the Air Force notified Solutions71 that the previous “award to DDC IT Services will stand based on the outcome of the OCI investigation.” AR, Tab 15; Notification of OCI Investigation Outcome. On August 7, Solutions71 filed the underlying protest with our Office, arguing DDC IT had multiple OCIs, and contending that the Air Force's investigation of those OCIs was unreasonable. Protest at 10-19. Relevant here, Solutions71 alleged that DDC IT obtained an unfair competitive advantage through its parent company's employment of a former agency employee, referred to in our decision as Ms. X. Protest at 11-12; Comments at 12. Solutions71's allegations hinged on the fact that in the final days of Ms. X's Air Force employment in June 2022, Ms. X had access to a change request proposal with detailed pricing information that Solutions71 submitted in connection with a prior GEOMAP contract.