iAdeptive Technologies, LLC (75FCMC26Q0001)

B-424158,B-424158.2 Mar 06, 2026 Jump To FULL REPORT VIEW DECISION RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights iAdeptive Technologies, LLC, a small business of Columbia, Maryland, protests the issuance of an order to Red Tail Digital LLC, a small business of Rockville, Maryland, under request for quotations (RFQ) No. 75FCMC26Q0001, issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, for the development and implementation of quality reporting, payment, and innovation programs. The protester contends that the agency unequally evaluated quotations, unreasonably evaluated the protester's quotation, and improperly based its evaluation of Red Tail's quotation entirely upon the experience and resources of the mentor member of the Red Tail mentor-protégé joint venture. We deny the protest in part and dismiss it in part. 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: iAdeptive Technologies, LLC File: B-424158; B-424158.2 Date: March 6, 2026 Eric W. Leonard, Esq., Matthew Howell, Esq., and Kristina Zaslavskaya, Esq., Cozen O'Connor, for the protester. Kelly E. Buroker, Esq., Kevin P. Connelly, Esq., Jeffrey M. Lowry, Esq., and Michael P. Ols, Esq., Vedder Price P.C., for Red Tail Digital LLC, the intervenor. Keric D. Clanahan, Esq., and William J. Shim, Esq., Department of Health and Human Services, for the agency. Nathaniel S. Canfield, Esq., and Evan D. Wesser, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST 1. Protest alleging unreasonable and unequal evaluation of quotations is denied where the record shows that the agency's evaluation was reasonable and differences in the evaluations were the result of differences between the quotations. 2. Protest alleging that the agency failed to consider experience of the protégé member of a mentor‑protégé joint venture is dismissed where neither relevant regulations nor the solicitation required such consideration. 3. Protest alleging that the agency failed to consider whether the protégé member of a mentor‑protégé joint venture would satisfy applicable work percentage requirements is denied where the joint venture's quotation did not evidence intent that the awardee would not comply. DECISION iAdeptive Technologies, LLC, a small business of Columbia, Maryland, protests the issuance of an order to Red Tail Digital LLC, a small business of Rockville, Maryland, under request for quotations (RFQ) No. 75FCMC26Q0001, issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, for the development and implementation of quality reporting, payment, and innovation programs. The protester contends that the agency unequally evaluated quotations, unreasonably evaluated the protester's quotation, and improperly based its evaluation of Red Tail's quotation entirely upon the experience and resources of the mentor member of the Red Tail mentor-protégé joint venture. We deny the protest in part and dismiss it in part. BACKGROUND The agency issued the RFQ on July 28, 2025, using the Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) procedures of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) subpart 8.4. Contracting Officer's Statement (COS) at 2‑3, 4. Based on the results of market research, the agency initially issued the RFQ on an unrestricted basis to 10 preselected vendors holding multiple‑award schedule contracts for information technology professional services and order‑level materials and later issued the RFQ to an additional 6 vendors who requested it. Id. at 2‑3. The agency issued two amendments to the RFQ, one of which set the procurement aside for small business concerns. Id. at 3, 4. The RFQ sought quotations for the provision of services to design, develop, enhance, maintain, and support the agency's Measure Authoring Development Integrated Environment (MADiE) application and Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources Measure Repository (FMR). Agency Report (AR), Tab 15, RFQ attach. 1, Statement of Objectives (SOO) at 3. As explained in the RFQ, MADiE “will serve as a centralized solution to support the development, testing, and evaluation of electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs) by stakeholders across the healthcare quality improvement ecosystem[.]” Id. The selected contractor will “provide a comprehensive suite of services, including requirements gathering, technical documentation, system design and development, quality assurance testing, help desk support, and the operations and maintenance of the MADiE application and the development and implementation of the [FMR].” Id.