H2K Solutions, Inc. (B-422790; B-422790.2; B-422790.3; B-422790.4)

Category: Technical evaluation

Date: 1 November 2024

URL: https://www.gao.gov/products/b-422790%2Cb-422790.2%2Cb-422790.3%2Cb-422790.4

You should not care.

H2K Solutions, Inc., protested CBP’s award of a task order for IT management services to Cloud Lake Technology, LLC, challenging the agency's evaluation of its technical approach. H2K alleged issues with the evaluation of its staffing plan, technical management plan, and the overall best-value determination. GAO found the agency's evaluation and tradeoff process reasonable and consistent with the solicitation and denied the protest.

H2K's staffing plan was critiqued for failing to map hours to specific tasks, gaps in task coverage, and proposing fewer full-time equivalents (FTEs) than the government's estimate. Despite a similar FTE count, Cloud Lake's plan was rated higher due to detailed mapping and incumbent knowledge. H2K also proposed tools not aligned with the solicitation, including a deprecated technology, and omitted required technologies in its approach. GAO ruled the agency’s evaluation reflected substantive differences and was not disparate.

In the tradeoff analysis, the agency justified paying a slight premium for Cloud Lake's higher-rated technical approach, citing detailed staffing and a lack of technical risks. GAO upheld the agency's decision, dismissing allegations of evaluation inconsistencies.

Digest

Protest challenging agency’s technical evaluation is denied where the agency evaluated the quotations in accordance with the terms of the solicitation.