Alliant 2 Contract Gets First Bid Protest Test

The largest IT contract of the decade—Alliant 2—now faces its first bid protest.

Vienna, Virginia-based Enterprise Information Services on Aug. 10 filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office over the General Services Administration’s solicitation terms.

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The protest, which takes aim at the terms within the unrestricted version of Alliant 2—which could be valued at $50 billion in addition to the $15 billion ceiling of Alliant 2 Small business—is likely to test GSA’s increased and objective emphasis on past performance in Alliant 2.

Jason Miller of Federal News Radio first reported the news and has more info from sources familiar with the protest.

GSA is no stranger to bid protests, and Alliant 2 is unlike the vast majority of government contracts. But GSA’s One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services contracts may offer a barometer for this case. In 2013, OASIS, which used a similar objective methodology for selecting winners, was protested by multiple competing vendors.

However, all protests failed. Alliant 2 went out for bid June 24 and submissions are due by Aug. 29. GAO must make a decision on the protest by Nov. 18.