GSA takes fresh look at contract for FedBizOpps.gov
Agency officials decide to follow judge's order and reopen evaluations to revamp the federal procurement portal.
The General Services Administration earlier this month finally decided to comply with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims September ruling and reopen the contract to revamp Federal Business Opportunities Web site to the four bidders in the competitive range.
A GSA spokesman said the agency has established a new cost structure for updating the federal procurement portal, contacted the four vendors to make sure they still are interested after three years, and appointed a new official in charge of reviewing the bids.
“We expect an award this summer,” the spokesman said. “The source selection authority is reviewing the evaluations and will make an award decision as to the proposal that represents the best value to the United States.”
U.S. Court of Federal Claims Judge Susan Braden denied the government’s request in March for reconsideration of three provisions in her September 2006 ruling. Braden asked the government to appoint a new source selection authority to re-evaluate bids.
Braden concluded that GSA had incorrectly calculated the bid from Symplicity, the winning vendor, when it awarded the company a $17.4 million contract in December 2005.
“We responded to their request and are still involved in the procurement,” a Symplicity spokesman said.
GSA issued a request for proposals to upgrade FedBizOpps in May 2004 and accepted proposals the following June. But since then, GSA has spent three years responding to protests.
GSA could have appealed the judge’s ruling.
“Given the procurement status, we are pleased that GSA appears to be moving forward,” said Peter Gallagher, president of Development InfoStructure, one of the two vendors that protested the GSA award to Symplicity.
“[We are] pleased to continue our involvement with this procurement and look forward to new source selection authorities decision,” said Peter Fogelsanger, a director with Aquilent.
Officials from Information Sciences, the fourth bidder and incumbent contractor, were not immediately available for comment.