Small business drops challenge to $5.5B Salesforce sole-source contract
Gettyimages.com/JHVEPhoto
By
Nick Wakeman
TurboVets’ brief protest questioned whether the Army properly justified awarding the Pentagon-wide contract without holding a competition.
The small business taking issue with a $5.5 billion sole-source Army contract that went to Salesforce has ended its protest, which questioned the service branch's decision to not hold a competition.
TurboVets filed at the Government Accountability Office on Feb. 4, arguing the Army should have let the company submit a proposal for the 10-year contract.
But TurboVets has apparently changed its mind and withdrew the protest on Thursday.
The Army's contract with Salesforce was an expansion of an enterprise agreement the two signed in June. Once word of that contract got out, other parts of the Defense Department started asking the Army about it.
That outside interest convinced the Army to negotiate a wider agreement with Salesforce and convert the enterprise agreement to an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract vehicle open to all of DOD.
In its justification document, the Army said that Salesforce was the only company that could provide the software and services it needed.
Frisco, Texas-headquartered TurboVets argued it could provide comparable solutions to the Army including software platforms, software-as-a-service options, systems integration and professional services.
GAO rules do not require companies to explain protest withdrawals. Officials at TurboVets have not responded to requests for comment.