CACI, Inc. (B-422774; B-422774.2)

Categories: Technical and cost, technical evaluation, best-value tradeoff

Date: 18 October 2024

URL: https://www.gao.gov/assets/880/872690.pdf

You should not care.

CACI protested the Navy’s award of a task order to Serco for scientific, engineering, technical, and analytical support services, challenging Serco's cost realism, nonkey personnel, and the overall results of Navy’s best-value tradeoff:

Cost Evaluation: CACI contended that Serco’s proposed costs were unrealistically low and should have been evaluated as such. GAO found that the agency's cost evaluation was reasonable in accordance with the solicitation's criteria, thus dismissing this claim.

Evaluation of Non-Key Personnel: The protester argued that the evaluation of Serco’s nonkey personnel was inadequate. GAO noted that CACI based its argument on an unreasonable interpretation of the solicitation.

Tradeoff Analysis: CACI claimed the agency's tradeoff analysis improperly considered offerors' proposed costs instead of most probable costs. GAO rejected this argument, citing the record contradicted CACI's assertions.

GAO denied the protest. Again, we see GAO highlight agencies’ broad discretion in cost realism assessments; they need only confirm costs are consistent with the technical proposal, especially where supposed salary benchmarks are subjective.

Digest

1. Protest that awardee’s costs should have been evaluated as unrealistically low is denied where the record shows the agency’s cost evaluation was reasonable and in accordance with the solicitation.
2. Protest challenging evaluation of the awardee’s non-key personnel is denied where the protester’s argument is based on an unreasonable interpretation of the solicitation coupled with a selective reading of the awardee’s proposal.
3. Protest contention that agency’s tradeoff considered offerors’ proposed costs, rather than most probable costs, is denied where the contention is contradicted by the record.