Three firms protest $900M CBP IT and professional services contract awards

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Guidehouse, Dignari and LMI are challenging how their proposals were evaluated against the six winners.

Three businesses that were not chosen for a $900 million Customs and Border Protection contract for broad IT and professional services have filed protests challenging the evaluation of their proposals.

Bids from Guidehouse, Dignari LLC and LMI Consulting were rejected for the Enterprise Business Management Support Service 2 blanket purchase agreement.

AnaVation, Booz Allen Hamilton, CGI Federal, Deloitte, IBM and Steampunk won awards.

CBP made the awards on the eve of the government shutdown so protests were delayed until the Government Accountability Office could reopen on Nov. 12.

The agency uses EBMSS-2 for strategic planning, risk assessment and mitigation, cost analysis, data management and analysis strategies, and senior program management.

The protesters are arguing that CBP evaluated their proposals differently than the winners.

CBP set up the competition as a best-value decision based on price and four non-price factors such as past experience, technical and management approach, small business, and labor categories.

EBMSS-2 follows an earlier version held by Booz Allen, Deloitte and NTT Data.

Deloitte was the largest recipient of work with $357 million in task order volume, followed by Booz Allen with $112 million and NTT Data with $29 million.

GAO expects to make a decision on the protests by Feb. 23.