Acuity International, LLC (B-422420.4; B-422420.5)

You should not care.

Category: Staffing matrix, technical and cost evaluation

Date: 20 December 2024

URL: https://www.gao.gov/products/b-422420.4%2Cb-422420.5

Acuity International protested TSA’s award of a fixed-price contract to Dentrust Dental International for nationwide medical examinations and drug testing services. Acuity alleged that Dentrust’s proposal did not comply with the solicitation’s requirements for a staffing matrix and basis of estimate, and that TSA’s evaluation was therefore flawed.

GAO found TSA’s evaluation of Dentrust’s staffing matrix reasonable, rejecting Acuity’s claim that the matrix’s inclusion of tasks outside the solicitation’s scope and a lack of specific labor-hour allocations violated the solicitation’s requirements. While the agency waived certain requirements related to Dentrust’s basis of estimate, GAO determined that Acuity failed to show it was competitively prejudiced by this action. Acuity also contended that Dentrust’s pricing approach was noncompliant, but GAO held that Acuity’s objections stemmed largely from its disagreement with the agency’s judgment, not from a demonstration of actual flaws.

GAO denied the protest, finding TSA’s evaluation was reasonable and consistent with the solicitation, and Acuity failed to show competitive prejudice or substantive errors.

Digest

Protest challenging the agency’s evaluation of the awardee’s proposal is denied where the evaluation was reasonable and consistent with the terms of the solicitation.