More ITES-3H protests filed

Three more companies have filed protests for being excluded from the final round of source selection process for the Army’s $5 billion ITES-3H contract.

FCN Inc., Blue Tech Inc. and Red River Computer Co. have each filed protests with the Government Accountability Office.

They join Telos Corp., Carahsoft Technology, Technology Integration Group, iGov and Dell in protesting the Army’s decision to kick them out of the competition as part of a two-phase evaluation process.

The Army received 50 bids for the contract for hardware, software and related services. They’ve eliminated one group of contractors in phase one and will pick the ultimate winners during phase two.

Eight contracts are expected: four for large businesses and four for small. The Army has said it will make awards by spring of 2015.

With eight protesters so far, the Army is in for a hard slog with this contract, which has already been delayed twice. ITES-2H has been extended twice and now is expected to expire in late 2015.

But even if the Army gets through these protests, it is reasonable to expect more protests once the final awards are made.

You don’t need a crystal ball to see that ITES-2H will likely be extended again.