SSA Reasonably Overrode Lower-Level Evaluators’ Award Recommendation Due to Concerns About Protester’s Ability to Meet Project Milestones; GAO B-414312, Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Protest challenging the agency’s source selection decision is denied, where the source selection authority had the discretion to disregard the recommendation of lower level evaluators and where the SSA was reasonably concerned that additional development work required for the protester’s solution could negatively affect the project schedule; and protest that the agency’s discussions were not meaningful is denied, where the agency advised the protester of its concerns about the schedule risk associated with the protester’s proposed solution, and was not required to discuss other areas where the awardee’s proposal was advantageous, because the protester’s proposal was assigned no significant weaknesses or deficiencies; and protest alleging the agency applied an unstated evaluation criteria is denied, where the agency’s consideration of the power consumption of the offerors’ proposed solutions was reasonably related to the solicitation’s statement that the agency would evaluate whether solutions could be successfully integrated and installed in existing aircraft.