B-258322.5,B-258322.6: Mar 9, 1995

Two firms protested a Department of Energy (DOE) contract award for technical and management services, contending that DOE: (1) unreasonably evaluated one protester's technical proposal; (2) made an improper cost-technical tradeoff decision; and (3) procurement officials had a conflict of interest with the awardee. GAO held that: (1) DOE unreasonably evaluated the first protester's best-and-final...

B-258322.5,B-258322.6: Mar 9, 1995

Evaluation of protester's proposal was unreasonable where agency identified weaknesses during discussions. Record indicates that many of the weaknesses were thereby eliminated. Proposal rating was not increased at all and record does not explain why increase was not warranted. Cost/technical tradeoff was unreasonable where agency selected higher-cost proposal for award over lower-cost. Selection i...