Unfair Advantage from Hiring Former Agency Officials Cannot be Waived Under FAR 9.5, but Protest Denied Where Agency Thoroughly Examined Possible Advantage and Found None; GAO B-412278.7, Northrup Grumman Systems Corporation

Protest challenging the agency’s source selection decision on multiple grounds is denied, where the agency thoroughly evaluated the awardee’s hiring of former agency employees and concluded that any competitively advantageous information the employees might have was outdated by the time the solicitation was issued; where the agency was not required to amend the solicitation to incorporate proposed changes that had not been accepted; and where the agency provided both offerors the opportunity to provide additional information during discussions that did not affect the technical acceptability of proposals but supported responsibility determinations.