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B-281606 1 (1999-03-10)

handle is hein.gao/gaocrptajhl0001 and id is 1 raw text is: oComptroller General of the United States Washington, D.C. 20548 Decision Matter of: Borders Consulting, Inc. File: B-281606 Date: March 10, 1999 James Thompson, Esq., Dauer & Thompson, for the protester. Sherry K Kaswell, Esq., Department of the Interior, for the agency. Scott H. Riback, Esq., and John M. Melody, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision. DIGEST Protest that evaluation criteria are designed to steer award to particular firm is denied where criteria directly relate to statement of work. DECISION Borders Consulting, Inc. protests the terms of request for quotations (RFQ) No. 99-SQ-20-10047, issued by the Department of the Interior (DOI) for evaluation and upgrade of the agency's Mid-Pacific Internet web sites. Borders principally argues that the solicitation's evaluation criteria are improper and that certain of the agency's technical evaluators should be excluded from participation in the acquisition. We deny the protest. The RFQ contemplates the award of an indefinite-quantity contract to evaluate the agency's mid-Pacific Internet web sites and to implement and maintain a more effective and efficient Internet presence. This RFQ is the second solicitation issued by the agency for this requirement; Borders protested the award under an earlier solicitation (B-281308, dismissed as academic, Nov. 9, 1998), and the agency issued this RFQ as part of its corrective action in response to that protest. Borders takes specific issue with two criteria--experience and knowledge of secure electronic commerce development, and experience and knowledge of web-based security--asserting that they do not reflect the statement of work. Borders also asserts more generally that the evaluation criteria were designed to favor the prior awardee, that is, to enable the agency to ratify its earlier source selection decision. Agencies enjoy broad discretion in selecting evaluation criteria and we will not object to a solicitation's evaluation scheme so long as it reasonably relates to the agency's needs. Madison Servs., Inc., B-278962, Apr. 17, 1998, 98-1 CPD 113 at 3.

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