Bid Protests How to Avoid Them, and How to

							               Bid Protests:
            How to Avoid Them,
                    and
             How to Win Them
                    Doug Kornreich


6/12/2009      Doug Kornreich, HHS OGC GLD   1
            Introduction
               Bid Protest: Contracting Officers
                dread them
               Doug Kornreich, Procurement
                Team Leader GLD, we don’t like
                protests too much either.
               How do we get through them?




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            Communication
                and
            Documentation


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            Topics of Discussion
               Bid Protest Process
               Why do Protesters Protest?
               Solicitation
               Evaluation
               Award Decision
               Debriefing



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            Bid Protest Process
               NIH Protest Control Officer, HHS
                Protest Control Officer, GLD and
                Contracting Officer discuss
               30 days: agency report is due to
                GAO
               GAO wants contemporaneous
                documentation
               GAO wants reasons for decision

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            Why do Protesters
            Protest?


               Want to know why they didn’t win




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            Solicitation
               Read Section L & M
               Check compliance with Part 15
               Can you explain it in English?

               Solicitation is your communication




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            Evaluation
               Points: don’t use them.
               If you must, don’t rely on them
               Technical panel: identify
                strengths, deficiencies and
                significant weaknesses

               Can you explain the rankings in
                English?

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            Evaluation, cont.
               Cost: Do appropriate cost realism
                analysis
               Price: Do price reasonableness
               Past Performance: think




6/12/2009         Doug Kornreich, HHS OGC GLD       9
            Communication
                and
            Documentation


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            Award Decision
               Do a tradeoff analysis with reasons
               Even if high tech, low cost
               Verify you complied with Section M
               No such thing as a “no brainer”.

               GAO relies on contemporaneous
                documentation – especially source
                selection document.

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            Debriefing
               Tool to provide communication and
                documentation to offeror
               Do oral debriefings whenever
                possible – with a detailed written
                agenda
               Source Selection Document is your
                guide



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            How to Avoid and Win
            Protests

               Do what you said you would do
               Do not rely on points
               Understand the reasons for the
                decision
               Face-to-face debriefing to explain



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            What next?
               Free time
               Dinner
               Contract Story Telling Contest
               Dancing and discussion
               Drinking and darts
               Swimming and massages
               Exercise room and bonfire


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