Crofton Diving Corporation

A firm protested a Department of the Navy combined contract award for waterborne hull cleaning and associated services, contending that the Navy failed to conduct the procurement in a manner that implemented the Navy's goal of making a split award for the two zones in order to develop multiple sources, and otherwise improperly implemented the evaluation and award determination in various respects that adversely affected the protester. GAO found that (1) the Navy's evaluation of proposals and resulting determination to make a combined award are reasonable and consistent with the solicitation evaluation and award criteria, and (2) the Navy was not required to conduct procurement in a manner that would afford preference to a split award to different offerors for each of two zones being solicited because the solicitation does not provide for such preference and states that a combined or split award could be made, based on which is most advantageous to the government. Accordingly, the protest is denied.