Battle over $50B Alliant 2 IT contract goes to court

The protest battle over the General Services Administration's award of its $50 billion Alliant 2 IT product and services contract is moving to the judicial arena as those who missed out evidently are trying another avenue to gain a place on this key vehicle.

Five protests were filed in late November after GSA made 61 awards for the Alliant 2 full-and-open track out of 170 total bids to leave many disappointed they missed out.

Alliant 1 incumbents Kratos Defense & Security Solutions and Peraton -- the former Harris Corp. IT business -- were among those protestors. Another incumbent in Centech Group also protested the awards after they missed out, as did Capgemini Government Solutions.

But now Centech and another evidently disappointed company in OBXTek have taken their objections to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Tysons Corner, Va.-based OBXTek first filed its lawsuit on Nov. 29 and Falls Church-based Centech filed its lawsuit Dec. 26.

GAO dismissed all outstanding protests against Alliant 2 on Dec. 20, as is customary when protests get taken to Federal Claims Court. A separate protest filed by Compuline International was dismissed Nov. 30.

Both OBXTek and Centech are objecting to different provisions in the solicitation but their cases will be decided in a single case, according to court documents. Officials at OBXTek declined comment and representatives from Centech could not be reached for comment.

OBXTek -- who did not protest to GAO -- is seeking an injunction that would order GSA to re-evaluate the company's proposal, according to OBXTek's heavily redacted 30-page complaint.

The company alleges GSA’s evaluation of OBXtek's bid was "materially flawed... internally inconsistent and arbitrary" and the proposal would have been chosen for award otherwise, the complaint says.

A schedule for the case posted on Dec. 6 says GSA is due to make its filing for the case by Jan. 19, 2018 and OBXTek must file a motion for judgment by Feb. 2. GSA must then file a response to that motion by March 2. OBXTek's reply to GSA's response is due by March 16 and then the agency must respond by March 30, according to the schedule.

Centech has received $27.9 million in task orders from Alliant 1, according to Deltek.

The $15 billion small business track of Alliant 2 was also protested after GSA announced 80 businesses as apparent winners on Dec. 7.

Technology Information Systems filed its protest Dec. 13 to contend its pricing was in line with those that received awards but then withdrew it Dec. 19. They could still file a protest after GSA makes an official announcement of awards.

For all small business contracts, GSA must give notice on companies it intends to make awards to in order to allow for any challenges to the small business designations of all winners.