Solvere Technical Group, LLC (N0017424R3002)

B-423785 Dec 18, 2025 Jump To VIEW DECISION DOWNLOADS RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights Solvere Technical Group, LLC (Solvere), a woman-owned small business (WOSB) of Virginia Beach, Virginia, protests the issuance of a task order to EHS Technologies Corporation (EHS), a WOSB of Moorestown, New Jersey, under task order request for proposals (RFP) No. N00174-24-R-3002-0003, issued by the Department of the Navy's Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Indian Head Division (IHD) for information technology (IT) services. Solvere challenges the evaluation of its own proposal under both the non-cost and cost factors and contends these evaluation errors resulted in an unreasonable best-value tradeoff. We sustain the protest. View Decision 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. Matter of: Solvere Technical Group, LLC File: B-423785 Date: December 18, 2025 William A. Shook, Esq., The Law Offices of William A. Shook PLLC, for the protester. Paul D. Hawkins, Esq., and Ryan J. Starks, Esq., Gentry Locke Attorneys, for EHS Technologies Corporation, the intervenor. Toya H. Davis, Esq., Department of the Navy, for the agency. Heather Self, Esq., and Peter H. Tran, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST Protest challenging evaluation of protester's proposal under personnel approach element of the technical factor and under the cost factor is sustained where record shows the evaluation was inconsistent with the solicitation. DECISION Solvere Technical Group, LLC (Solvere), a woman-owned small business (WOSB) of Virginia Beach, Virginia, protests the issuance of a task order to EHS Technologies Corporation (EHS), a WOSB of Moorestown, New Jersey, under task order request for proposals (RFP) No. N00174-24-R-3002-0003, issued by the Department of the Navy's Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Indian Head Division (IHD) for information technology (IT) services. Solvere challenges the evaluation of its own proposal under both the non-cost and cost factors and contends these evaluation errors resulted in an unreasonable best-value tradeoff. We sustain the protest. BACKGROUND On July 24, 2024, using the procedures of Federal Acquisition Regulation subpart 16.5, the agency issued the solicitation as a 100 percent WOSB set-aside to holders of indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contracts under the Navy's SeaPort Next Generation (NxG) multiple award contract vehicle. Agency Report (AR) Encl. 4, Request for Proposals (RFP) at 1, 4, 108, 110.[1] The solicitation explained the NSWC IHD requires IT “support services to accomplish its mission of collection, analysis, development, and dissemination of data and information.” Id. at 8. Specifically, the Navy sought: Information Assurance (IA) services to ensure the Secret Internet Protocol (SIPR) network, Defense Research Engineering Network (DREN), Secret Defense Research Engineering Network (SDREN), NSWC IHD Business and Command systems, Navy Marine Corps Intranet Science and Technology (NMCI S&T), unclassified and classified standalone systems, Platform Information Technology (PIT), and applications and systems are in compliance with Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI) 8510.01 Risk Management Framework (RMF) for DoD [IT]. Id. The solicitation contemplated issuance of a single cost-plus-fixed-fee level‑of‑effort task order with a 1-year base period and four 1-year option periods. RFP at 56, 92, 110. The solicitation provided award would be made on a best-value tradeoff basis, considering the following evaluation factors: (1) technical; (2) past performance; (3) cost; and (4) contract documentation. Id. at 111. Three elements comprised the technical factor: (A) technical approach; (B) management approach; and (C) personnel approach. Id. The solicitation established that the technical factor was more important than past performance, and these two factors, when combined, were significantly more important than cost.[2] Id. The contract documentation factor would be evaluated on a pass/fail basis and would “not have any relative importance weighting.” Id. The agency received six timely proposals, including those submitted by Solvere and EHS. AR Encl. 7, Source Selection Decision (SSD) at 3. The agency evaluated Solvere's and EHS's proposals as follows:   Solvere EHS Technical Approach Acceptable Good Past Performance Satisfactory Confidence Substantial Confidence Total Evaluated Cost $60,008,355 $75,552,286 Contract Documentation Pass Pass Id.