4 push back after missing out on $5B CMS award

Four companies, including one incumbent, have filed protests after missing the cut for a $5 billion Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Four companies have filed bid protests after being left off a Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services’ $5 billion contract for data and research services in support of federal health care programs.

CMS picked 17 companies for the second iteration of the Research, Measurement, Assessment, Design and Analysis contract known as RMADA. The contract will be used for developing new models, learning networks, surveys and other data collection projects.

Winners include a mix of commercial entities as well as non-profits. Winners include IBM, Deloitte, Booz Allen Hamilton, Abt Associates and General Dynamics IT. Eight of the winners are incumbents, but several other incumbents didn’t make the cut for RMADA 2.

Acumen is one of those incumbents and they are one of the four protesters. The other protesters -- Customer Value Partners, Westat, and FEI Systems -- are making their first run at the contract.

Other incumbents who didn’t win a spot have not filed protests.

The protests were filed between Sept. 23 and Sept. 27. The first due date for a decision for FEI’s protest is Jan. 2.

In all likelihood the protests will be bundled into a single decision, unless the arguments the companies are making are unique to their individual protest.