Protests paint troubling picture of Army MAPS contract
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By
Nick Wakeman
The $50 billion professional services vehicle faces multiple complaints about ambiguities, restrictions on competition and inadequate information.
The group of protests involving the Army’s $50 billion MAPS contract paint a picture of a troubled program with complaints about what the companies are politely calling “ambiguities.”
At the time of publication, eight protests were active at the Government Accountability Office involving the Army’s Marketplace for the Acquisition of Professional Services vehicle. A ninth protester MetroStar Systems has withdrawn its protest.
The remaining protesters are challenging the solicitation itself, as well as what they see as inconsistencies between the solicitation and the 2,500-plus Q&A responses.
Many of the complaints involve challenges to past performance requirements and how the Army will evaluate past performance for MAPS.
Other common claims among the complaints:
- The solicitation does not offer enough information for companies to bid intelligently.
- Various solicitation requirements are unduly restrictive of competition
- The solicitation violates small business regulatory requirements that pertain to SB teams and joint ventures.
Some complaints about restrictions to competition involve the Army’s decision to reserve some spots on the contract for “emerging large businesses.” This term is not well-defined, according to the protesters.
The protesters are split evenly at four a piece between large businesses and small firms.
Large business protesters:
- GovCIO
- ICF
- Inserso Corp.
- QinetiQ US
Small business protesters:
- Intelligence Consulting Enterprise Solutions
- TechSur-Guidehouse joint venture
- Provista Consulting
- The JAAW Group
GAO has not decided yet whether to bundle the protests into a single decision. For now, GAO expects to rule on the protests between Aug. 3 and Aug. 17.