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Protest alleging that agency erred in finding proposal unacceptable is denied. The agency found that the protester’s proposed key personnel lacked the experience required by the solicitation. The protester argued that its key personnel narratives sufficiently set forth the required experience. GAO was unconvinced. For at least one position, the protester had simply restated the solicitation’s requirements without actually demonstrating that the proposed person had the requisite experience.

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) issued a solicitation to holders of the NGA Segment Engineering IDIQ contract. The solicitation contemplated the award of a task order for systems engineering and integration support. The solicitation identified nine key personnel positions and the listed qualifications that were required or desirable for each position. If proposed key personnel lacked the required skills and experience, the vendor would be ineligible for award.

Zolon PCS, LLC submitted a quote. NGA, however, determined that individuals Zolon proposed for two key positions failed to meet the experience requirements. As a result, NGA found Zolon’s quote unacceptable. Zolon protested.

Zolon argued that its key personnel narrative met or exceeded the solicitation’s requirements, so its quote should not have been found unacceptable. GAO disagreed, noting that for at least one position, Zolon did little more than restate the required experience in its key personnel narrative without actually providing a job description that reflected the required experience. GAO opined that Zolon’s appeared to assume that an agency should be required to draw broad inferences from key personnel narratives to conclude that requirements had been met. But it is a vendor’s responsibility to submit and adequately written quote. Restating the experience descriptions does not demonstrate that a key person actually has the experience required.

Zolon is represented by William T. Welch and J. Patrick McMahon of McMahon, Welch and Learned, PLLC. The intervenor, S2 Analytical Solutions, is represented by Aaron S. Ralph, John E. Jensen, and Robert C. Starling of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP. The agency is represented by Daniel T. Lamb and Major Jason A. Quinn of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. GAO attorneys Sarah T. Zaffina and Jennifer Westfall-McGrail participated in the preparation of the decision.