CIO-SP4 protests dismissed as NITAAC commits to further corrective action
The Government Accountability Office has dismissed the latest round of bid protests filed over the $50 billion CIO-SP4 IT services solicitation.
All recent challenges to the procurement were dismissed between March 10 and March 15 after the awarding agency elected to take further corrective action, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The National Institutes of Health Information Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center (NITAAC) indicated that it would reassess the source selection methodology and make a new determination as part of the further corrective action, the person said. The person spoke with FedScoop on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak on the record about the procurement.
As part of this latest corrective action, NITAAC will make a new phase one determination on highest rated offerors who should then proceed to the second phase of the procurement.
It represents the latest development in a procurement saga that has run since a request for proposals was first issued in May 2021.
Last month, the procurement was further delayed by a fresh salvo of challenges filed with the GAO by 17 small business entities. Those bid protests included allegations that NITAAC improperly eliminated plaintiffs from solicitation competition, according to a person familiar with the filings.
This followed 117 complaints filed in November with GAO over NITAAC’s use of a points-based scoring system to assess the prior performance of companies bidding on the contract.
In response to those protests, NITAAC at the time agreed to take corrective action and re-adjudicate which offerors would progress to the second phase of the procurement.
Protests filed over CIO-SP4 so far have centered on issues including how the awarding agency assesses offerors’ prior experience and its approach to mentor-protégé arrangements.
No further details on the timeline for the corrective action could immediately be established.
NIH did not respond to a request for comment.
The 10-year, $50 billion CIO-SP4 contract is the fourth iteration of a primary vehicle for acquiring commoditized IT products and specialized services to meet biomedical research and healthcare needs.
