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B-276362 1 (1997-06-06)

handle is hein.gao/gaocrptafyb0001 and id is 1 raw text is: oComptroller General of the United States Washington, D.C. 20548 Decision Matter of: Pfizer, Incorporated File: B-276362 Date: June 6, 1997 Kenneth B. Weckstein, Esq., and Shlomo Katz, Esq., Epstein, Becker & Green, P.C., for the protester. Philip S. Kaufman, Esq., and Barbara J. Stuetzer, Esq., Department of Veterans Affairs, for the agency. Paul E. Jordan, Esq., and Paul Lieberman, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST In solicitation for blanket purchase agreement under Federal Supply Schedule contracts, agency decision to use only price and price-related evaluation factors is unobjectionable where, prior to issuance of solicitation, agency reasonably determines that competing drugs are essentially technically equal. DECISION Pfizer, Incorporated protests the evaluation criteria in a request for quotation (RFQ) for a blanket purchase agreement (BPA) issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for a drug class referred to as long-acting alpha blockers. The solicitation was issued with evaluation criteria consisting only of price factors.1 Pfizer argues that the agency should have included technical criteria to take into consideration certain allegedly meaningful differences in the competing drugs. We deny the protest. BACKGROUND This RFQ was issued as part of a broader program underway at VA to standardize pharmaceuticals and medic al/surgical items in order to achieve concentrated buying power. Since the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) expends approximately $1 billion on pharmaceuticals each year, the VA seeks to accomplish its greater 'The solicitation was originally issued as a request for proposals and contained a section entitled technical evaluation, which listed only price and price-related evaluation factors. In response to Pfizer's protest, the VA amended the solicitation to make it an RFP, to entitle it a blanket purchase agreement quote, and to delete the reference to a technical evaluation.

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