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B-424156.2,B-424156.3 Jun 15, 2026 Jump To FULL REPORT VIEW DECISION RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights Indigo Ridge Farms, LLC, a women-owned small business of Mount Jackson, Virginia, protests the award of a contract to SOF Landing, LLC, a small business of Sanford, North Carolina, under request for proposals (RFP) No. H92239-25-R-E003, issued by the Department of the Army, Special Operations Command (USASOC), for live goats to be used as training aids for combat medics. The protester contends that the agency unreasonably determined that SOF Landing's proposal was acceptable under the terms of the solicitation. We deny the protest. 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: Indigo Ridge Farms, LLC File: B-424156.2; B-424156.3 Date: June 15, 2026 Lewis P. Rhodes, Esq., and Orest J. Jowyk, Esq., Reston Law Group, LLP, for the protester. Isabelle P. Cutting, Esq., and Col. Justin A. Silverman, Department of the Air Force; and Sheila Burns, Esq., Department of the Army, for the agency. Thomas J. Warren, Esq., and Alexander O. Levine, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST Protest that agency should have evaluated awardee's proposal as technically unacceptable and ineligible for award is denied where the agency's evaluation was reasonable and consistent with the solicitation criteria. DECISION Indigo Ridge Farms, LLC, a women-owned small business of Mount Jackson, Virginia, protests the award of a contract to SOF Landing, LLC, a small business of Sanford, North Carolina, under request for proposals (RFP) No. H92239-25-R-E003, issued by the Department of the Army, Special Operations Command (USASOC), for live goats to be used as training aids for combat medics. The protester contends that the agency unreasonably determined that SOF Landing's proposal was acceptable under the terms of the solicitation. We deny the protest. BACKGROUND The USASOC Joint Special Operations Medical Training Center (JSOMTC) has a continuing requirement for live goats to be used as training aids. Agency Report (AR), Tab 4, Market Research Report at 2;[1] Contracting Officer's Statement (COS) at 2; Memorandum of Law (MOL) at 2. This training is called live tissue training, with the aim of preparing medics to treat traumatic injuries in combat situations. Id. Indigo Ridge has delivered live goats (referred to as caprines) to the agency for this purpose from September 2012 until September 2025. AR, Tab 4, Market Research Report at 3. On July 25, 2025, the agency issued the RFP as a small business set-aside in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) subpart 12.6, streamlined procedures for the evaluation and solicitation of commercial items. AR, Tab 6, RFP at 1, 75; COS at 3. The solicitation contemplated the award of a single indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract under which fixed price delivery orders would be issued. RFP at 3, 74. The IDIQ ordering period included a 5-year base period and five 1-year option periods. Id. at 49-50; COS at 3. As relevant to this protest, the solicitation's statement of work (SOW) required the delivery of caprines, in lots of 30 to 150, to various USASOC locations within 30 days of the date the agency issues a delivery order. RFP at 29. The solicitation informed offerors of an estimated maximum annual order of 5,045 caprines and indicated that the monthly total of animals delivered “generally will not exceed 600 caprines.”[2] Id. The SOW also included various requirements and detailed United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulatory procedures applicable to the storing and transportation of live animals, such as USDA licensing and animal quarantine requirements. For example, the SOW specified that the contractor shall maintain “an adequate storage space for a maximum of 500 [] caprines.” Id. at 30. The SOW also required the contractor to be a “USDA Class A or Class B licensed dealer prior to proposal submission and maintain license through the duration of the contract.”[3] Id. at 30. For quarantine procedures prior to delivery, the solicitation included various requirements. For example, all caprines were to be quarantined for a minimum of 14 days in a pasture or within confinement facilities meeting all regulatory standards, and the offeror's quarantine facility was to “be the location stated in the USDA Class A or Class B license.” RFP at 30, 32. For the evaluation of proposals, the solicitation specified that award would be made to the lowest-priced, technically acceptable proposal, using three factors: technical capability, past performance, and price. Id. at 75. Price would be evaluated for “price reasonableness in accordance with FAR 15.404.” Id.