New Generation Solution, LLC (B-422559.2; B-422559.3)

You should not care.

Category: Technical evaluation, IDIQ order

Date: 23 October 2024

URL: https://www.gao.gov/products/b-422559.2%2Cb-422559.3

New Generation Solution, LLC (NGS), protested DISA's award of a task order to DSSG LLC for endpoint modernization services under GSA’s 8(a) STARS III contract. NGS challenged the agency’s technical evaluation, alleging that it should have received a strength for its proposed helpdesk and hotline, that DISA engaged in disparate treatment by recognizing a strength in DSSG’s quote but not in its own, and that the best value tradeoff failed to account properly for NGS’s lower price.

Helpdesk and hotline evaluation: GAO found that DISA reasonably determined NGS’s proposed helpdesk and hotline did not exceed solicitation requirements, particularly because the agency already had a helpdesk in place.

Alleged disparate treatment: GAO rejected NGS’s claim that DISA unfairly assigned a strength to DSSG’s program management approach while not doing so for NGS. The record showed that DSSG’s quote provided greater detail and demonstrated a more robust understanding of program management requirements.

Best-value tradeoff: GAO upheld the agency’s tradeoff analysis, which determined that DSSG’s technically superior approach justified its 13.7 percent price premium. The agency properly documented why DSSG’s quote was worth the additional cost.

Protest denied.

Digest

1. Protest challenging the agency’s technical evaluation is denied where the record shows that the agency’s evaluation was reasonable and consistent with the solicitation’s evaluation criteria.
2. Protest alleging that the agency engaged in disparate treatment by identifying a strength in the awardee’s proposal and not in the protester’s proposal is denied where the difference in strengths was based on differences in the proposals.
3. Protest challenging an agency’s best-value tradeoff determination is denied where the record reflects that the agency’s source selection rationale was consistent with the stated evaluation criteria.