Frontline Support Solutions (W9113M-25-S-C006-0001)

B-424179 Feb 25, 2026 Jump To VIEW DECISION DOWNLOADS RELATED PAGES GAO CONTACTS Highlights Frontline Support Solutions, LLC, a service-disabled veteran-owned small business of San Antonio, Texas, protests its exclusion from consideration for award under request for proposals No. W9113M-25-S-C006-0001, issued by the Department of the Army, U.S. Army Contracting Command – Redstone Arsenal for rotary-wing flight training. The protester contends that the agency's failure to distribute a recording of a preproposal conference undermined competition and competitively disadvantaged the protester. We deny the protest. View Decision Decision Matter of: Frontline Support Solutions File: B-424179 Date: February 25, 2026 Bronson I. Lerma for the protester. Travis Drost, Esq., and Wade L. Brown, Esq., Department of the Army, for the agency. Suresh S. Boodram, Esq., and Evan D. Wesser, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST Protest alleging that the agency unreasonably treated vendors unequally when the agency failed to publish a recording of the agency's preproposal conference is denied where the agency had already published all information necessary to the procurement. DECISION Frontline Support Solutions, LLC, a service-disabled veteran-owned small business of San Antonio, Texas, protests its exclusion from consideration for award under request for proposals No. W9113M-25-S-C006-0001, issued by the Department of the Army, U.S. Army Contracting Command – Redstone Arsenal for rotary-wing flight training. The protester contends that the agency's failure to distribute a recording of a preproposal conference undermined competition and competitively disadvantaged the protester. We deny the protest. BACKGROUND On September 8, 2025, the agency issued a notice of intent on SAM.gov to solicit a contract to provide annual training for 900-1500 rotary wing pilots.[1] Agency Report (AR), Tab 8, Sept. 8 SAM.gov Notice at 1, 3. The requirement is part of the agency's Initial Entry Rotary Wing training program at Fort Rucker, Alabama, known as Flight School Next. Id. at 3. The agency issued the final solicitation for the requirement on SAM.gov on December 1. See AR, Tab 13, SAM.Gov Posting, Dec. 1, 2025 at 1-2. The agency notified offerors that this procurement was being conducted in accordance with the Army's Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) authority pursuant to 10 U.S.C. § 3458 and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement subpart 212.70. Under these authorities, contracting officers may competitively select proposals for innovative commercial items, technologies, or services received in response to a general solicitation, similar to a broad agency announcement, based on a review of proposals by scientific, technological, or other subject-matter expert peers. Contracting officers must treat items, technologies, and services acquired using a CSO as commercial products and commercial services and make award on a fixed-price basis. Contracting officers may utilize various award instruments including but not limited to: Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) covered contracts pursuant to FAR part 12, Commercial Procedures; any fixed-price or fixed-price incentive contract types specified under FAR part 16; and non-FAR covered agreements such as transaction agreements under 10 U.S.C. §§ 4022, 4023. See generally AR, Tab 12, Draft CSO Solicitation at 3. Relevant here, the final solicitation contemplated the award of a single fixed-price indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract to be issued in accordance with FAR part 12. AR, Tab 14, C4S Document at 4. The solicitation, or call for solutions (C4S), included relevant information for offerors including background information about the agency's acquisition approach and the purpose of the Flight School Next program, award guidelines and eligibility requirements, and proposal preparation and formatting instructions. See generally AR, Tab 14, C4S Document at 3; see also AR, Tab 20, Statement of Objectives (SOO) at 1 (providing additional information including relevant program background and the agency's objectives and requirements). The agency also amended the RFP to include questions and answers from vendors (C4S Q&A). AR, Tab 15, Dec. 9 SAM.gov Posting at 2, 6; AR see generally Tab 19, C4S Q&A at 8-10. To evaluate proposals, the agency is to utilize a four-phase evaluation process. AR, Tab 14, C4S Document at 6. The agency reserved the right to eliminate an offeror at each phase of the evaluation process. Id. The four phases of the evaluation process are: (1) a quad chart and solution brief; (2) a presentation; (3) a request for a commercial solution proposal (CSP); and (4) a CSP validation demonstration. Id. at 7-8.