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B-180531 1 (1974-06-25)

handle is hein.gao/gaobaafbx0001 and id is 1 raw text is: COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES WASHINGTON. D.C. 20548 B-180531 JUN 2 5 1974 The Honorable Gilbert Gude House of Representatives Dear Mr. Gude: This is in response to your January 29, 1974, request that we look into allegations regarding a contract awarded by the Department of Com- merce to OMNI Research Incorporated to perform trace chemical analyses of fish and fish product samples for the Department's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra- tion. The allegations were that OMNI had not met the qualification require- ments of the request for proposal (RFP) or the performance requirements of the contract. In accordance with your request and subsequent discus- sions with our representatives, information on both these areas follows. We reviewed pertinent records and documents concerning the so- licitation, award, and performance under the contract. We gave NMFS officials the opportunity to review the report and they agreed with its content. As you requested, we did not obtain comments from OMNI. BACKGROUND On March 24, 1972, the Department of Commerce issued a RFP for performing trace chemical analyses of fish and fish product samples. The RFP, as amended, solicited bids for the chemical analyses of sam- ples for as many as 15 elements. Twenty-six firms responded to the solicitation but only 20, includ- ing OMNI, submitted bids to perform analyses for all 15 elements in 15, 000 samples--a total of 225, 000 analyses. OMNI, which submitted the only bid within the $155, 000 allocated for the contract, was awarded a 1-year contract for $96, 000 on June 28, 1972; the contract was amended for additional work and to extend the time for completion. The other 19 firms' bids ranged from about $204, 000 to about $864, 000. PREAWARD VISITS Before the award of the contract, NMFS officials visited the labo- ratories of 5 bidders, 3 of whom, including OMNI, had submitted pro- posals to perform analyses for all 15 elements while the other 2 bid on only 12 of the 15 elements. The purpose of the visits was to evaluate the bidders' facilities, ability to meet required delivery schedule, man- power availability, management controls, and financial strength. NMFS officials said OMNI was better qualified to perform the analyses than were the other four bidders.

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