SEWP V protests hit double digits

More companies are crying foul over not making the cut on NASA’s $20 billion SEWP V contract.

The number protests filed with the Government Accountability Office has reached 11 with Koi Computer Inc., AlphaSix Corp. and Akira Technologies joining the fray.

SEWP V is the fifth iteration of a large and very successful contract run by NASA but open to all government agencies looking to buy IT and other computer technologies, high-end scientific and engineering process capabilities, network equipment and peripherals.

More protests could be coming as NASA received 233 proposals and has made awards to 73 companies. There is still one category yet to be awarded, but that still leaves a lot of potential protesters.

Working in NASA’s favor, however, is that companies have a finite amount of time to file a protest based on when they received their debriefing on why they were not picked. That 10-day window has to be nearly shut.

Regardless of whether there are new protesters, NASA has already nixed the Nov. 1 start date for the contract. The agency has extended SEWP IV until April 30.

The bid protests filed so far have due dates at GAO ranging from Jan. 28 to Feb. 8, so NASA has a nice cushion to transition from one contract to the other.

If 11 is the peak of the bid protests, it might be easier for NASA to take a corrective action and put all the protesters on the contract. Then the market can decide whether they will be successful.

I can’t imagine that managing 84 contractors will be any harder than managing 73.

For the record, the protesting companies are:

• Akira Technologies
• AlphaSix Corp.
• BahFed Corp.
• Federal Technologies Solutions
• i3 Federal, LLC
• Koi Computer Inc.
• KPaul Properties.
• NCS Technologies Inc.
• Technica Corp.
• Technology Solutions Provider Inc.
• Unicom Government Inc.