General Dynamics files protest against Leidos' NGEN award

General Dynamics IT has raised objections against the Navy’s decision to award the $7.7 billion NGEN network services recompete contract to Leidos in early February.

GDIT filed a bid protest with the Government Accountability Office on Wednesday.

GDIT, Leidos and incumbent  Perspecta were in a three-way competition for the prize to run the Navy and Marine Corps' global IT networks that support almost 650,000 users.

Perspecta is still mulling its decision to protest or not.

GDIT declined to comment on why it is protesting. But sources indicate that the company is challenging the evaluation and is arguing that if it had been conducted properly, they would have won and not Leidos.

The GDIT protest takes some pressure off Perpsecta, because the GDIT protest could help Perspecta if it decides not to protest. But there are a lot of caveats to that.

The protest can follow four different scenarios:

1.. After seeing the Navy’s response to its protest, GDIT withdraws because it doesn’t see its protest being successful. This doesn’t help Perspecta.

2. GDIT’s protest raises Navy concerns and the service takes a corrective action, withdrawing the award to Leidos and taking a second look at its award decision. This would help Perspecta but it might not help if the corrective action is very narrow and only applies to GDIT’s bid.

3. GAO denies the protest. No help at all.

4. GAO sustains the protest. Like a corrective action, this should help Perspecta but it might not if the GAO recommendations are narrow and only apply to GDIT.

GDIT filed its protest March 4 and a decision from GAO is expected by June 12.

As of early this week, Perspecta was still waiting to get answers back from the Navy following a Feb. 24 debriefing. Perspecta has five days after it gets those answers to decide whether to protest or not.