IBT challenges Boeing's TWIC contract
Integrated Biometric Technology says TSA misread its proposal and asks for a review; appeal unlikely to derail the $70 million Boeing project; Office of Dispute Resolution for Acquisition comes under criticism
Not so fast Lockheed! The company’s efforts to get going in its recently-awarded $70 million contract to develop the Transportation Worker’s Identification Card suffered a setback last week when Stamford, Connecticut-based Integrated Biometric Technology (IBT) filed an objection to the award with the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Dispute Resolution for Acquisition. IBT, readers will recall, is owned by Robert LaPenta’s L-1, and readers will also perhaps recall our many reports on the promising company, most recently regarding a large project in Florida to manage the licensing of the state’s insurance agents and another for Illinois’s participation in the federal HAZPRINT program for transporters of dangerous chemicals.
According to IBT, the Transportation Security Agency made a number of critical errors in the selection process, most notably misunderstanding “certain key aspects” of the company’s proposal, including their prices. “We are convinced that had TSA evaluated all offer proposals fairly and properly, the agency would have concluded that the IBT team unquestionably offered the government the most capable, most affordable and best value solution,” said LaPenta. Under the law, IBT and TSA will have the choice of resolving the conflict through mediation, a formal appeals process, or both. Experts, however, say it is extremely unlikely that IBT will be victorious due to the procedural obstacles within the TSA Office of Dispute Resolution for Acquisition (ODRA). Said Jeremy Grant of the Washington Stanford Group:
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“ODRA has a reputation as being an incredibly difficult place for any industry protester to win because the hurdles that govern protests under ODRA is more heavily weighted in the government’s favor than those that typically go to GAO.Traditionally speaking, the rules that govern protests under ODRA gives more latitude to the contracting officer to decide what decisions are appropriate and which are not.”
-read more in Jason Miller’s Washington Technology report
