GAO sustains protest against WidePoint's $3B DHS mobility win
Gettyimages.com/Klaus Vedfelt
By
Nick Wakeman
Turning Point Global Solutions wins its challenge to the evaluation, but the Government Accountability Office rejects conflict-of-interest claims against the incumbent.
The Government Accountability Office is asking the Homeland Security Department to take a second look at a $3 billion award for managing the agency’s mobile device inventory.
WidePoint Integrated Solutions Corp. won the award in June to protect its incumbent position, but Turning Point Global Solutions challenged that decision on multiple grounds. Turning Point complained about how the evaluation was conducted and raised allegations that Widepoint had a potential conflict-of-interest.
GAO’s decision handed down Thursday agrees with Turning Point’s challenge to how proposals were evaluated. But the protest adjudication agency denied Turning Point’s allegations that WidePoint had a conflict because some agency personnel were former company employees.
Still, the issues GAO found with the evaluation are enough to send the contract back to DHS. GAO said that the evaluation did not track with the solicitation requirements.
GAO wants DHS to conduct a new evaluation that is consistent with the solicitation and then make a new award decision.
The contract provides DHS an interface with commercial wireless carriers for ordering devices and related services. DHS needs support for 150,000 wireless connections, ranging from service desk support to program management, expense management and transition support.