Salient CRGT, Inc. (B-423283.3)

You should care.

Categories: Labor mix, price realism, key personnel, past performance

Date: 5 December 2025

URL: https://www.gao.gov/products/b-423283.3

Salient CRGT protests the issuance of a task order to SAIC for the Government Accountability Office's own technology information services contract—a hybrid fixed-price and time-and-materials order under a NITAAC IDIQ. SAIC's price of $95.4 million was 39 percent below the IGCE; CRGT's was $134.3 million, 15 percent below. After an initial award to SAIC was protested and GAO's outcome prediction ADR indicated likely sustain, the agency took corrective action, reevaluated, and again selected SAIC—this time as the highest-rated offeror with the lowest price (both rated good overall on technical, SAIC with substantial confidence versus CRGT's satisfactory confidence on past performance).

CRGT raised four principal challenges, all denied.

Labor category mix and level of effort: CRGT argued SAIC's dramatically lower price and fewer FTEs created substantial performance risk the agency failed to consider. GAO found the solicitation did not require a price realism analysis—it stated proposals could be rejected for unreasonably high prices or lack of understanding, but did not state proposals could be rejected for prices that were too low. The agency documented its evaluation of SAIC's staffing against each task area, noting SAIC's use of AI efficiencies and cross-task allocation of FTEs. Both offerors proposed roughly half the IGCE hours (CRGT 56.8 percent, SAIC 50.6 percent).

Key personnel: CRGT argued SAIC's cloud lead, who held a bachelor's degree in psychology rather than the required computer science or IT degree, should have received a deficiency. GAO found the agency effectively waived the degree requirement for both offerors equally—CRGT's accessibility lead held degrees in journalism, mass communications, and educational studies. Both individuals had extensive relevant experience, and the agency assessed identical minor weaknesses. On security clearances, the PWS required favorable tier 2 investigations "before accessing GAO networks," not on day one—clearances would be processed during transition.

Past performance: CRGT argued all three references should have been rated very relevant, yielding substantial confidence. GAO found the agency reasonably distinguished between references that were similar in scope and complexity versus those that were essentially the same, and the resulting satisfactory confidence rating was consistent with the solicitation's evaluation scheme.

Selection decision: Because SAIC was highest rated and lowest priced, no tradeoff was required, and the SSA's selection was reasonable.

The protest is denied.

Digest

1. Protest challenging the agency's evaluation of the awardee's labor category mix and level of effort under the technical approach factor is denied where the solicitation did not require a price realism analysis or state that a proposal could be rejected for submitting prices that were too low, and the record shows the agency's evaluation was reasonable and consistent with the solicitation.
2. Protest challenging the evaluation of key personnel is denied where the agency effectively waived some special qualification and certification requirements for both offerors and otherwise treated the offerors equally.
3. Protest challenging the evaluation of past performance is denied where the agency reasonably assigned ratings consistent with the solicitation's evaluation scheme.
4. Protest challenging the agency's selection decision is denied where the selection is reasonable, consistent with the solicitation, and properly documented.