Environet Inc. (B-423470.2)

You should not care.

Category: Experience, suspense, deadline

Date: 5 September 2025

URL: https://www.gao.gov/products/b-423470.2

Environet, a veteran-owned small business, protested the Navy's RFP for multiple IDIQ contracts for global petroleum, oil, and lubricant fuel systems construction and engineering services. After Environet's initial protest led to corrective action, the Navy amended its key personnel experience requirements from mandatory to desired, changing ten-year POL experience criteria for program managers and project managers to preferred qualifications. Environet renewed its protest, arguing the criteria remained unduly restrictive and that fourteen days was insufficient time to respond to the amendment.

Experience criteria rationally related to needs: GAO found the Navy adequately justified its desired experience levels based on the technical complexity and elevated risk of fuel handling and storage facilities. The agency explained that key personnel experience demonstrates an offeror's ability to identify, mitigate, and manage fuel project risks, and that technical competence requirements apply equally to small business set-asides and unrestricted task orders. Because the experience criteria became desired rather than mandatory, Environet was not prevented from competing even if its personnel lacked the specified experience.

Adequate response time: The agency issued the solicitation in March with a forty-five–day response period, then extended the deadline multiple times through several amendments. The most recent amendment made no changes to the technical proposal for the seed task order, giving offerors more than four months total to prepare proposals. Environet failed to explain why the relaxed criteria required additional preparation time beyond the fourteen-day extension.

The protest was denied.

Digest

1. Protest challenging solicitation experience criteria for key personnel as unduly restrictive of competition is denied where the criteria are reasonably related to the agency's needs.
2. Protest that the agency did not provide a reasonable amount of time to submit proposals after solicitation amendment is denied where the allotted time is reasonable.