Imagine One Technology & Management, Ltd. (B-422875.3; B-422875.4)

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Category: Cost or price evaluation, technical evaluation

Date: 2 January 2026

URL: https://www.gao.gov/products/b-422875.3,b-422875.4

Imagine One protested the Navy’s award to CACI for a large SeaPort NxG task order supporting the Navy Maritime Maintenance Enterprise Solution digital platform. The decision is useful for two recurring issues: cost realism in a follow-on services procurement and alleged bait-and-switch of proposed personnel.

GAO denied both lines of attack. On cost, it found the Navy’s realism review reasonably adjusted Imagine One’s proposal based on the solicitation and the contents of the firm’s own cost narrative, including the agency’s treatment of overhead, G&A, and certain contingent-hire direct labor rates. On staffing, GAO rejected the claim that CACI had engaged in an impermissible bait-and-switch, finding no evidence that CACI materially misrepresented the personnel it intended to furnish.

The result left intact a best-value award where both offerors were rated good technically and both received substantial confidence for past performance, with only a modest cost difference between them after realism adjustments.

The protest is denied.

Digest

1. Protest challenging the agency's cost realism analysis of the protester's proposal is denied where the record shows the agency's cost evaluation was based on a comprehensive review of the protester's cost proposal and was consistent with the terms of the solicitation.
2. Protest that awardee will engage in impermissible "bait and switch" of its personnel is denied where there is no evidence that the awardee made a material misrepresentation in its proposal with respect to the personnel it proposed to perform.

GAO upheld the Navy’s NMMES award to CACI, rejecting Imagine One’s cost-realism challenge and its claim that CACI misrepresented proposed personnel.