Thursday, April 25, 2024
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Key Issues Optical clocks Prototype funding SPAFORGEN
The Government Accountability Office today released its decision denying a bid protest filed by Glock Inc. over the contract award for the Army's next sidearm.
The comptroller general's decision had been under a protective order since June 5 due to its potential inclusion of proprietary or sensitive information. As Inside Defense reported at the time:
In a statement, Ralph White, GAO's managing associate general counsel for procurement law, explained the basis of the decision: "The protester challenged the Army's interpretation of the solicitation regarding the minimum number of contract awards required by the [request for proposals]. The protester also alleged that the Army improperly evaluated its proposal. The maximum contract value, including all options, is approximately $170 million."
He continued, "GAO denied the challenge to the interpretation of the solicitation, finding that the RFP allowed the Army to make only one award, although up to three awards were permitted by the RFP's terms. GAO also denied the challenge to the Army's evaluation of Glock's proposal on the basis that any errors did not prejudice Glock in the competition."
White's statement emphasized that the GAO ruling "expresses no view as to the merits of the protester's proposal," deferring to the Army to evaluate the ability of offerors to meet its requirements.
The service on Jan. 19 awarded Sig Sauer a firm fixed-price contract with a stated maximum potential value of $580 million for the Modular Handgun System, which the Army characterized as "sufficient to procure Army requirements, other service requirements, and potential Foreign Military Sales requirements."
The full-size version of the MHS is intended to replace the Beretta M9, while the compact version would replace the M11.
One of eight unsuccessful bidders, Glock filed a protest on Feb. 24, following a debriefing on Feb. 17. Sig Sauer was able to continue its performance of the contract while the protest was pending with GAO.