Protest alleging that agency failed to meaningfully evaluate quotations is sustained. The agency found the protester’s quotation unacceptable due to a lack of detail. GAO found that other than offering vague and conclusory statements, the agency had not explained what details were lacking. What’s more, the agency then disparately evaluated proposals, not bothering to penalize the awardee for a similar lack of detail. In fact, the awardee copied its capability statement directly from the statement of work, but the agency either didn’t notice or didn’t care. GAO concluded the agency’s evaluation was incoherent.
The Department of Veterans Affairs published an RFQ seeking medical courier services. The VA received quotations from five vendors, including Marquis Solutions and FG Management Group LLC. The VA determined that Marquis’s proposal was unacceptable. Following an award to FG, Marquis protested.
Marquis argued that the VA failed to meaningfully evaluate its proposal. Marquis argued that the VA appeared to have not even read its proposal or understand what it was offering.
GAO agreed with Marquis. The record showed that the evaluators were primarily concerned about a lack of detail in Marquis’s quote. But the evaluators did not explain or even provide examples of the what particular details were lacking. The just made vague, conclusory findings. For instance, the evaluators concluded that Marquis’s quotation didn’t address the contractor’s capability to perform the duties of the requirement. Yet, the evaluators did not address what requirements or what elements of the statement of work Marquis failed to address.
To make matters worse, the VA failed to criticize FG’s quotation for similar deficiencies. Indeed, FG had copied its capability statement directly from the statement of work, but the VA just let it slide.
Additionally, the VA assigned strengths to FG’s quotation for features that Marquis also offered. As an example, FG received a strength for its ability to start performance immediately. The VA claimed FG received a strength because it was an incumbent courier with trained staff available to perform But Marquis had also recently worked on an incumbent courier contract for the VA and also offered to fully trained staff.
All in all, GAO found that the evaluation did not withstand logical scrutiny. GAO recommended the VA reevaluate and make a new award decision.
Marquis is represented by Alan Grayson. The agency is represented by Kimberly Kegowicz of the Department of Veterans Affairs. GAO attorneys Scott H. Riback and Tania Calhoun participated in the preparation of the decision.
