SOS International, LLC (B-423516; B-423516.2)

You should not care.

Category: Technical evaluation, best value tradeoff

Date: 29 July 2025

URL: https://www.gao.gov/products/b-423516%2Cb-423516.2

SOSi protested the Army’s issuance of a best value task order under GSA’s Alliant 2 for Military Intelligence Information Technology Support (MIITS) at the Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, arguing the agency misevaluated program management features, misapplied “significant strength” versus “strength,” used an undefined “M” label for items that merely met requirements, credited Peraton for elements SOSi framed as outside “program management,” and performed an irrational tradeoff given SOSi’s lower price. GAO found the evaluation consistent with the RFP and adequately documented, and that disagreements over adjectives, crediting of innovations, and staffing above historical averages did not show error.

The protest was denied. GAO will defer to documented judgments on qualitative distinctions, shorthand labels aligned with criteria, and integrated program-management enablers. Staffing above historical norms can be a discriminator when the RFQ favors coverage and innovation.

Digest

1. Protest that the agency unreasonably evaluated proposals is denied where the record shows that the evaluation was consistent with the proposals' contents and terms of the solicitation.
2. Protest that the agency unreasonably conducted the best-value tradeoff analysis is denied where the record shows that the agency compared proposals and considered their relative merit in accordance with the terms of the solicitation.