One minute late
Protest window closed at 5:30 pm. Protest came in at 5:31 pm. Dismissed.
V. David Zvenyach
Preference Pecking Order
The VA noticed intent to sole source "switchboard services" under the AbilityOne program to the Central Association for the Blind under the Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) Act. Protestor claimed that this violated the Veterans First Contracting Program's Rule of Two for SDVOSBs or VOSBs. GAO explained that the Department of Veterans Affairs Contracting Preference Consistency Act addresses the conflict and JWOD has priority. Protest denied.
Minimum experience was not optional
Solicitation required four key personnel that each had "a minimum two years' experience with five years preferred in supervising warehouse logistical operations." But 2 of the protestor's key personnel did not meet the 2-year minimum. Agency considered that a material deficiency and GAO upheld the agency's decision. Protest denied.
GAO: Hurricane Consulting, Inc., B-423839,B-423839.3,B-423839.4,B-423839.5 (Jan 02, 2026)
Scope drift
Protestor's claim that a Navy IDIQ didn't cover AI/ML was tossed because the contract covered "technical tasks, including those that involve the optimal utilization of IT tools and software development." Why wasn't AI/ML included explicitly five years ago? "At the time the [IDIQ] was issued nearly five years ago, utilization of AI/ML was not sufficiently widespread to be included in the performance work statement." But a broad scope covered the new tech and the $35 million threshold applied, so the protest was dismissed.
Gotta meet the requirements
Protestor was assigned a significant weakness because the solicitation required "80dB RF attenuation" for the facility and two doors and the protestor only offered "a minimum of 60dB of attenuation." Despite a sizable cost difference, agency determined that the failure to meet 80dB RF attenuation was enough to go a different direction. GAO denies protest.
GAO: Assisted Building Solutions, LLC, B-423895,B-423895.2 (Jan 08, 2026)
OASIS+ Phase II Amendments
GSA's solicitation documents for the "next generation of Best-in-Class multi-agency contracts for complex non-IT services" are now live. Of note: even though it's a "continuously open model," it's mostly going to be first in, first out...
Guidehouse gambled, and lost
Guidehouse received a "no-confidence" rating on its staffing plan after it deviated from the solicitation's "staffing matrix" to offer a lower price. On protest, the agency argued that the staffing plan "relied on unsupported and inadequately explained assumption" and didn't articulate benefits to the agency. GAO sided with the agency. Protest denied.
GAO: Guidehouse Digital, LLC, B-423833,B-423833.2 (Jan 05, 2026)
MAS Refresh 31
A whole bunch of changes coming to the Multiple Award Schedule beginning in February. Some of what's in? Transactional Data Reporting expansion; AI-compliance language and inclusion of Revolutionary FAR Overhaul deviations; and adjustments to the OLM SIN. There's a webinar scheduled for February 10, 2026.
GSA: Advanced Notice for MAS Refresh 31 and Upcoming Mass Modification (Jan. 12, 2026)
A big enough "party bus"
Protestor argued that awardee's past performance — including the Air Force's "party bus contract" — wasn't at sufficient "scale." The agency argued that scale did not require a dollar‑value analysis and GAO agreed that the nature of the work (not prior contract value) was sufficient.
Also, watch this space!
"[W]hile not presented as a distinct protest ground, underlying the protester's numerous arguments taking issue with Salient's evaluation are allegations that DCSA improperly relied upon artificial intelligence (AI), rather than agency evaluators, to conduct the evaluation. In its report responding to the protest, the agency addressed these allegations. (attesting that “human evaluators” assessed quotations).
GAO: Salient CRGT, Inc., B-423640.2,B-423640.4 (Jan 05, 2026)
Technical degree required? Nah
Sometimes, an agency wants key personnel with specific degrees. Here, a solicitation asked for someone with a technical degree (comp sci), but the agency ended up being ok with someone with a psychology degree, concluding it was a "minor weakness." Outcome? Protest denied. Didn't help that the protestor also had a non-comp-sci KP.