GAO denies Textron's protest of mine countermeasure USV award

By Audrey Decker / August 9, 2022 at 2:20 PM

The Government Accountability Office has shut down a contract award protest from Textron Systems over the Navy's Mine Countermeasure Unmanned Surface Vessel, according to an Aug. 1 decision.

In April, Bollinger Shipyards was awarded a contract to build the Navy's MCM USV which was a major blow to Textron -- a company that has worked closely with the service over the years to develop its MCM USV program.

Textron argued the Navy “misevaluated proposals and made an unreasonable source-selection decision,” GAO states.

However, Textron failed to demonstrate that the Navy’s evaluation was unreasonable or inconsistent with the terms of the solicitation, according to GAO.

The Navy Department “performed a best-value tradeoff that was reasonable and adequately documented,” the GAO decision states.

The competition was for a “build-to-print contract” for the initial production of the three MCM USVs, with the ability to procure up to six in the base year and options for up to 24 additional vehicles. The contract award totals $13.7 million, with options to bring the value of the contract up to $122.9 million.

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