The protester challenged multiple weaknesses that the agency assigned to its proposal. One of these was a significant weakness for failure to demonstrate the ability to hire and retain cybersecurity and infrastructure engineering professionals. The protester’s proposal showed it hired 32 IT professionals but maintained an average of 13-15. Without further explanation, GAO found it reasonable that the agency assumed the protester had a retention issue.
Open SAN Consulting, LLC- dba OSC Edge, GAO B-423287; B-423287.2
- Protest – The protester objected to the issuance of a task order for technical engineering and installation services. It particularly challenged the agency’s evaluation of the offerors’ organizational experience and key personnel.
- Organizational Experience – The protester maintained that the agency unreasonably assessed its proposal with a significant weakness under the organizational experience factor. The agency identified the weakness for failure to demonstrate the ability to hire and retain cybersecurity and infrastructure engineering professionals. GAO found the agency’s evaluation was reasonable. The protester’s proposal stated it hired 32 IT professionals and maintained an average of “13-15 FTEs on an ongoing basis.” The proposal did not connect or explain the reasoning for the roughly 17-employee difference between the hired and retained professionals.
- Key Personnel – The protester also contended that the agency unreasonably assigned a weakness to its proposal under the key personnel factor for its proposed senior systems engineer. The agency had concluded that the protester’s proposed senior systems engineer did not meet two of the solicitation’s seven desired experience areas for the position. GAO sided with the agency. The record showed the key person’s resume described the candidate as a systems engineer rather than a senior systems engineer. As such, the agency was unable to determine the individual’s years of experience as a senior systems engineer.
The protester was represented by Stuart W. Turner, Nicole A. Williamson, and Kyung Liu-Katz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP. The intervenor was represented by Tracye Winfrey Howard, Paul F. Khoury, W. Benjamin Phillips, III, and Jonathan C. Clark of Wiley Rein LLP. The agency was represented by Ana F. Smith and Diana L. King of the Navy. Heather Weiner and Jennifer D. Westfall-McGrail of GAO participated in the preparation of the decision.
— Case summary by Joshua Lim, Assistant Editor.
