TITLE: B-297790.6, T Square Logistics Services Corporation, Inc.--Costs, June 7, 2007
BNUMBER: B-297790.6
DATE: June 7, 2007
******************************************************************************
B-297790.6, T Square Logistics Services Corporation, Inc.--Costs, June 7, 2007
Decision
Matter of: T Square Logistics Services Corporation, Inc.--Costs
File: B-297790.6
Date: June 7, 2007
Richard B. Oliver, Esq., McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP, for the protester.
Michael J. O'Farrell, Jr., Esq., Department of the Air Force, for the
agency.
Katherine I. Riback, Esq., and James A. Spangenberg, Esq., Office of the
General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision.
DIGEST
1. Protester's opposition to, and GAO's denial of, agency's request for
"outcome prediction" alternate dispute resolution (ADR) cannot serve as
basis to disallow otherwise reasonable protest costs.
2. Protest costs that GAO recommended be reimbursed need not be allocated
between issue for which GAO attorney indicated during "outcome prediction"
ADR that the likely outcome would be a sustained protest and the other
issues raised by the protester, where the issues are interconnected and
based on common factual underpinnings.
3. Agency's generalized objections to attorneys' hours in claim for
protest costs do not provide basis to justify denying adequately
documented claim showing claimed hours were reasonable and in pursuit of
the protest.
4. Protester's costs incurred questioning agency's proposed corrective
action prior to GAO's disposition of protest based on agency's proposed
corrective action are allowable protest costs.
5. In situations where GAO recommends that protest costs be reimbursed,
protester's costs of preparing request to GAO for a recommendation that
its protest costs be reimbursed because of unduly delayed agency
corrective action on a clearly meritorious protest are allowable protest
costs.
6. Attorney fee $150 cap contained in Competition in Contracting Act, 31
U.S.C. sect. 3554(c)(2)(B) (2000), is not applicable to attorneys' fees
paid by small business protester.
7. Protester should be reimbursed its costs of pursuing claim for costs at
GAO where the agency took no steps for 6 months to consider the claim when
it was pending there and for the first time in its report on the claim
provided non-meritorious arguments denying the bulk of the protester's
claim.
DECISION
T Square Logistics Services Corporation, Inc. (a small business concern)
requests that we recommend reimbursement of $51,611.83 in costs of
pursuing its protest challenging the award of a contract to Data Monitor
Systems, Inc., by the Department of the Air Force under request for
proposals (RFP) No. FA6643-05-R-0006, for base operating support (BOS)
services at Grissom Air Reserve Base, Indiana. T Square also requests that
it be reimbursed its costs of pursuing this claim at our Office.
We recommend reimbursement in the amount of $51,611.83, plus T Square's
costs of pursuing this claim at our Office.
The RFP, issued as a small business set-aside on June 6, 2005,
contemplated the award of a combined fixed-price and time-and-materials
contract for 1 base year with nine 1-year options. The solicited BOS
services included (1) base supply function, (2) motor vehicle management
function, (3) traffic management function, (4) transient aircraft
services, (5) recurring real property maintenance function, (6) fuels
function, (7) airfield management function, and (8) meteorological
function.
The RFP provided for offerors to meet certain minimum qualification
requirements, and to submit technical proposals addressing the program
management/staffing and financial plan subfactors, which would be
evaluated on a "technical acceptability" basis. The RFP provided that past
performance was to be evaluated for "recency," that is, currently ongoing
or completed within the last 3 years; "relevancy," based on the scope,
magnitude, and complexity of the contracts, including the extent of
performance by teaming partners and subcontractors; and quality of
performance on referenced contracts. This evaluation would result in an
overall confidence performance risk assessment of the offeror's ability to
successfully perform the proposed effort. The possible confidence ratings,
listed in descending order of quality, were "high confidence,"
"significant confidence," "confidence," "unknown confidence," "little
confidence," and "no confidence." RFP sect. M-3.4.
Ten firms, including T Square and Data Monitor, submitted offers by the
closing date for receipt of proposals. The agency conducted written
discussions with the nine offerors who submitted acceptable proposals.
After discussions were concluded, final proposal revisions were requested
and evaluated. Data Monitor was the lowest priced offeror of the three
offerors that received the best performance risk assessment awarded of
"significant confidence." Although T Square submitted a lower price than
Data Monitor, it received an overall performance risk assessment of
"little confidence."
The source selection authority concluded that despite "the Very Relevant
contracts with Exceptional performance data which covered [most] of the
eight functions," T Square warranted an overall performance risk
assessment of "Little Confidence," because of "substantial doubt in [T
Square's] ability to perform due to lack of performance data in [certain
functions]." Agency Report, Tab 10, Source Selection Decision, at 2. T
Square's evaluated lack of experience in these functional areas was not
mentioned to it during discussions. The agency determined that Data
Monitor's proposal represented the best value to the government, and Data
Monitor was awarded the contract.
In its initial protest and two supplemental protests, T Square basically
argued that the agency either misevaluated its proposal by unreasonably
penalizing it for certain alleged gaps in experience in certain BOS
functions, which possibly represented unequal treatment of its proposal as
compared to Data Monitor's, or improperly failed to communicate in
discussions its significant concern that T Square lacked experience in
these BOS functions, in which case T Square would have added
subcontractors with the requisite experience in a revised proposal.
The due date established for the Air Force report in response to the three
protests was January 26, 2006. On January 23, the agency submitted an
"advance document production" consisting of relevant documents pertaining
to T Square's protest. No contracting officer's statement and legal
memorandum responding to the protester's arguments or justifying the
agency actions were provided at that time.
On the following day, the agency attorney contacted the GAO attorney
assigned to these protests, and requested "outcome prediction" alternate
dispute resolution (ADR).[1] The agency attorney has characterized his
request as a cost-saving measure for all parties involved, because if our
Office's attorney had conducted outcome prediction ADR in advance of the
complete agency report, and predicted that the protest was a "probable
sustain," then the Air Force could have taken corrective action in advance
of the agency report due date, and the protester could have saved the
attorneys' fees incurred in reviewing the full agency report and preparing
written comments on the agency report, thus saving the agency from
exposure from a recommendation from our Office that it pay T Square's
protest costs, including attorneys' fees. See Air Force Report on Claim
at 2.
On January 25, the protester objected to our Office conducting ADR before
it had an opportunity to review an agency report, including a contracting
officer's statement and legal memorandum, and before our Office had
considered the protester's comments on the report, because in its view the
record was incomplete. On January 26, the agency counsel renewed his
request that our Office conduct outcome prediction ADR, and the protester
renewed its objection. The GAO attorney declined to conduct outcome
prediction ADR before she had an opportunity to review the agency's legal
memorandum and the contracting officer's statement, as well as the
protester's comments, explaining to the parties that, in the absence of a
more developed record, this was not an appropriate case for outcome
prediction ADR.
On January 27, the agency produced a contracting officer's statement and
legal memorandum defending the agency's actions. On February 2, the Air
Force produced certain additional documents timely requested by the
protester, which the Air Force argued were irrelevant, but which were
deemed relevant by the GAO attorney.[2] The protester filed comments on
the agency report on February 6.
After reviewing the fully developed record, the GAO attorney contacted the
parties and stated that she was prepared to conduct outcome prediction ADR
if the parties were interested. She did this in view of the previously
expressed interest by the Air Force in ADR, and because, consistent with
our criteria for conducting ADR, she and her supervisor had a high degree
of confidence regarding the outcome of the protest. The parties agreed and
the ADR was conducted on February 13.
During the ADR conference, the parties were informed by the GAO attorney
that from her review of the record, it was clear that meaningful
discussions were not conducted by the agency, where the protester was not
informed of the agency's concern that the firm lacked certain experience
that resulted in a "little confidence" rating, which was apparently the
sole basis for not selecting T Square's proposal for award. The parties
were informed of the GAO attorney's view that the likely outcome of the
protest was that it would be sustained, and that the likely protest
recommendation would be that the agency reopen negotiations, conduct
further discussions with T Square and the other offerors, request revised
proposals, and make a new source selection decision, fully documenting the
basis for that decision.
The Air Force did not immediately respond to the ADR, but on March 3
(almost 3 weeks after the ADR and less than 2 weeks before the 100-day
deadline for our Office to issue a decision on the protest), the Air Force
informed our Office and the parties that the agency had decided to take
corrective action in response to the outcome prediction ADR, consisting of
the following: (1) assign a new evaluator, (2) re-evaluate all offerors
that received a "Go" in the "Go/NoGo" technical proposal evaluation for
past performance relevance and performance risk, (3) assign a "neutral"
performance risk rating for those functional areas in which an offeror
lacks past performance experience, (4) re-assess the confidence
assessment, (5) prepare a new past performance/cost trade-off analysis and
best value determination, (6) prepare a new source selection document, and
(7) if any offeror other than the current awardee was determined to be the
best value, then terminate the award to Data Monitor, and make award to
that offeror. On March 7, the protester objected to the agency's proposed
corrective action. On March 8, the GAO attorney asked the agency counsel
to confirm whether the agency intended to stay performance during the
conduct of corrective action and whether it might re-open discussions
during the proposed corrective action. On March 9, the agency responded
that it would stay performance during corrective action and that, as it
proceeded with the proposed corrective action, it had the discretion to
re-open discussions if it later concluded that such action was warranted.
Given that T Square could receive the award as a result of the proposed
corrective action, our Office dismissed T Square's protest as premature
and academic on March 14. T Square Logistics Servs. Corp., B-297790
et al., March 14, 2006.[3]
On March 23, T Square timely requested that we recommend, pursuant to
section 21.8(e) of our Bid Protest Regulations, that it be reimbursed its
costs of filing and pursuing its protests. 4 C.F.R. sect. 21.8(e) (2007).
On March 29, the Air Force was requested to respond to the request. The
GAO attorney then performed further ADR by advising the parties of the
general rule that where an agency took corrective action on a protest,
based upon outcome prediction ADR indicating that the protest would likely
be sustained, after the agency had submitted its report, our Office would
ordinarily recommend that the costs of pursuing the protest be reimbursed.
See, e.g., National Opinion Research Ctr.--Costs, B-289044.3, Mar. 6,
2002, 2002 CPD para. 55 at 3; Millar Elevator Serv. Co.--Costs,
B-284870.3, Aug. 3, 2000, 2000 CPD para. 126 at 3. Rather than negotiating
or replying to the request for entitlement or claim for costs with T
Square, the Air Force informed our Office that it "decided not to reply
to" T Square's request. Facsimile Transmittal from Air Force to GAO
(Apr. 10, 2006).[4]
In T Square Logistics Servs. Corp., B-297790.4, supra, we recommended that
T Square be reimbursed the reasonable costs of filing and pursuing its
protests, including those incurred in its request for a recommendation for
reimbursement of protest costs. In so doing, our Office adopted the
analysis previously provided to the parties by the GAO attorney that
indicated that the protest was clearly meritorious, in that meaningful
discussions were not conducted with T Square on the subject of past
performance. That decision also found that the Air Force had unduly
delayed taking corrective action after it had submitted an agency report
on the protest. The Air Force did not request reconsideration of our
decision.
After the agency again selected Data Monitor for award without conducting
discussions, T Square again protested on May 31 the Air Force's evaluation
of its and Data Monitor's past performance as well as the Air Force's
failure to conduct discussions. In response to this protest, the Air Force
again took corrective action that this time included termination of the
contract awarded to Data Monitor and reopening of discussions.[5] We
therefore dismissed this protest on June 14.
Meanwhile, on June 9, T Square timely filed its certified claim for costs
with the agency in the amount of $51,611.83, consisting of $51,166.50 in
attorneys' fees and $445.33 in reimbursable expenses incurred by the
attorneys. T Square submitted detailed documentation in support of its
claim, including billing statements describing the work performed and time
spent by each attorney, and invoices, as well as evidence supporting the
reasonableness of the billing rates charged. During the subsequent 6
months, the agency failed to consider T Square's claim, despite repeated
follow-up calls by T Square's counsel.[6]
This claim was filed at our Office on December 6. In its report filed in
response to the claim, the Air Force disputes the bulk of T Square's
claimed costs and indicates that only $1,328.17 should be reimbursed. Air
Force Report on Claim at 12.
The agency first objects to reimbursing T Square for any costs incurred
past the point at which T Square's counsel objected to the Air Force's
initial request for outcome prediction ADR, except for the costs of T
Square's counsel's actual participation in the February 13 outcome
prediction ADR teleconference, and the time that T Square's counsel took
to review the decision of our Office dismissing the protest in response to
this ADR. The agency argues that T Square's opposition to its initial ADR
request, and our denial of the ADR request prior to receipt of the agency
report, were unreasonable, and needlessly exposed the agency to
reimbursing T Square's protest costs. Air Force Report on Claim at 2.[7]
While we are sensitive to an agency's desire to save resources and money,
we take very seriously our responsibility under the Competition in
Contracting Act (CICA), to decide bid protests "concerning an alleged
violation of a procurement statute or regulation," 31 U.S.C. sections
3552, 3553(a) (2000), and our Office's attorneys will therefore not
conduct outcome prediction ADR unless we determine that the record has
been adequately developed and that there is a very likely outcome.[8] The
decision to use outcome prediction ADR in a particular case is a question
that is left to the discretion of the GAO attorney assigned to the case,
in consultation with her/his Assistant General Counsel. Generally, for
outcome prediction ADR to be meaningful, it is necessary to develop the
record, which means allowing the agency to make a filing and then allowing
the protester, and the intervenor, to respond. See Daniel I. Gordon,
"GAO's Use of `Negotiation' and `Outcome Prediction' as ADR Techniques,"
Fed. Contr. Rep. (BNA), Jan. 19, 1999 ("Because the GAO attorney needs to
be able to form an opinion about the likely outcome in order to engage in
outcome prediction, this type of ADR is unlikely to be invoked before the
agency has had a chance to respond to the protest in its report. . . . In
general, . . . outcome prediction ADR will occur after the agency report
and the protester's comments on that report have been received.").
Here, without notice to GAO or the parties, the agency delivered a large
quantity of documents to our Office only 3 days before the agency report
was due and only then requested outcome prediction ADR based upon the
documents, without providing an agency response to the protest grounds in
the form of a contracting officer's statement and legal memorandum. Our
Office's attorney decided that she would not be in a position to conduct
outcome prediction ADR, if at all, until she had reviewed the complete
agency report, namely the agency's legal memorandum and the contracting
officer's statement responding to the protest grounds, and the protester's
comments. Also, the protester objected to our Office conducting ADR before
receipt of the complete agency report and its comments; while a party's
objection to ADR is not determinative, it is a factor in our determination
concerning whether or not ADR is appropriate. See Bid Protests at GAO: A
Descriptive Guide, 8^th ed., at 35. Here, the GAO attorney agreed with the
protester's counsel that the record was not adequate to permit ADR based
on the documents submitted by the Air Force. Under these circumstances,
our Office's attorney appropriately decided not to conduct outcome
prediction ADR. In any event, neither the fact that the protester
initially opposed the Air Force's ADR request, nor the fact that our
Office initially declined to conduct ADR, can serve as a basis to disallow
otherwise reasonable protest costs.
The agency also now argues that T Square should recover only those
reasonable costs relating to the protest issue that the GAO attorney
identified as a "probable sustain" during the outcome prediction ADR, that
is, the Air Force's failure to conduct meaningful discussions. The Air
Force argues that because T Square did not attempt to separate the costs
relating to this issue from the other issues it raised, all of its claimed
costs should be disallowed.[9]
As a general rule, we consider a successful protester entitled to be
reimbursed costs incurred with respect to all issues pursued, not merely
those upon which it prevails. AAR Aircraft Servs.--Costs, B-291670.6, May
12, 2003, 2003 CPD para. 100 at 9. In our view, limiting recovery of
protest costs in all cases to only those issues on which the protester
prevailed would be inconsistent with the broad, remedial congressional
purpose behind the cost reimbursement provisions of CICA. AAR Aircraft
Servs.--Costs, supra; TRESP Assocs., Inc.--Costs, B-258322.8, Nov. 3,
1998, 98-2 CPD para. 108 at 2. Nevertheless, failing to limit the recovery
of protest costs in all instances of partial or limited success by a
protester may also result in an unjust award determination. Accordingly,
in appropriate cases, we have limited our recommendation for the award of
protest costs where a part of their costs is allocable to a protest issue
that is so clearly severable as to essentially constitute a separate
protest. See, e.g., BAE Tech. Servs., Inc.--Costs, B-296699.3, Aug. 11,
2006, 2006 CPD para. 122 at 3; Interface Floorings Sys., Inc.--Claim for
Attorneys' Fees, B-225439.5, July 29, 1987, 87-2 CPD para. 106 at 2-3. In
determining whether protest issues are so clearly severable as to
essentially constitute separate protests, we consider, among other things,
the extent to which the claims are interrelated or intertwined--i.e., the
successful and unsuccessful claims share a common core set of facts, are
based on related legal theories, or are otherwise not readily severable.
See Sodexho Mgmt., Inc.--Costs, B-289605.3, Aug. 6, 2003, 2003 CPD
para.136 at 29.
We do not find that in this case the arguments on which the protester
failed to prevail are clearly severable from those on which it succeeded.
Here, all of T Square's arguments pertained to the reasonableness of the
agency's evaluation of proposals under the past performance factor and the
Air Force's failure to conduct meaningful discussions based on its
evaluation, such that the protester's arguments were interconnected and
based on common factual underpinnings.[10] See TRESP Assocs., Inc.-Costs,
supra, at 3. Under the circumstances, we find that T Square's counsel was
not required to separate costs associated with its arguments relating to
the agency's failure to conduct meaningful discussions from costs
associated with the other arguments it raised in its protests.[11]
Next, the Air Force argues that attorney time spent pursuing these
protests was excessive and represented an unreasonable duplication of
effort. Air Force Report on Claim at 8. Our Office generally accepts the
number of attorney hours claimed, unless the agency identified specific
hours as excessive and articulates a reasoned analysis as to why payment
for those hours should be disallowed. Pulau Elecs. Corp.--Costs,
B-280048.11, July 31, 2000, 2000 CPD para. 122 at 6. Simply concluding
that the hours claimed are excessive or suggest duplication of effort is
inadequate to justify denying a claim for protest costs. Id. We will
examine the reasonableness of the attorney hours claimed to determine
whether they exceed, in nature and amount, what a prudent person would
incur in pursuit of his or her protest. Price Waterhouse--Claim for Costs,
B-254492.3, July 20, 1995, 95-2 CPD para. 38 at 5. We have examined the
reasonableness of the claimed attorney hours in light of the agency's
generalized objections, and find them to be adequately documented as to
the work performed and time spent by each attorney, and reasonably
incurred in pursuit of the protests.
The agency also makes specific objections to hours charged for various
claimed activities. Specifically, the agency argues that the protester is
not entitled to reimbursement for 1.2 hours where its attorney was
"reviewing debriefing materials" and "conferring with client regarding
protest and began to review documents regarding same," because "time spent
by a potential protester in ascertaining whether it has a basis for
protest is not time spent in pursuit of the protest." Air Force Report on
Claim at 4-5, quoting from Blue Rock Structures, Inc.--Costs, B-293134.2,
Oct. 26, 2005, 2005 CPD para. 190 at 6. However here, as explained by the
protester, it had already decided to file a protest, and the time that its
attorney spent reviewing the notes from the debriefing attended by his
client and conferring with his client was to formulate and focus the
factual basis that would be contained in the protest that was to be filed.
Declaration of Protester's Counsel (Feb. 7, 2007) para. 5. Thus, these
hours--spent in discussing and preparing the protest filing--are
reasonable costs of filing and pursuing the protest, and should be
reimbursed.
The Air Force also challenges the attorney's charge of 1.7 hours on
December 27, 2005 for "confer[ing] with GAO Regarding Notification of
Agency; Drafted Redacted Version of Protest," arguing that any time spent
conferring with GAO should not be reimbursable. Agency Report on Claim at
5. However, as explained by the protester, the portion of this time spent
"conferring with GAO" was to ascertain whether GAO had or would timely
notify the agency of the protest so that a statutory stay of performance
would apply. Attorney's Counsel Declaration (Feb. 7, 2007) para. 6. We
agree with the protester that this was a reasonable precaution,
particularly given the possible understaffing at GAO and the agency during
the holiday period, and was a reasonable cost of pursuing the protest.
The Air Force also challenges the attorney's charge of .5 hours to review
certain documents that the Air Force did not believe were relevant, but
which GAO determined were relevant. Air Force Report on Claim at 7. The
Air Force argues that this charge was unreasonable because this was
incurred in search of supplemental protest issues. We find that the costs
incurred in a protester's review of documents that have been provided by
the agency in the course of pursuing its protest to be reasonable costs of
pursuing a protest. The agency's disagreement with the GAO determination
that the documents were relevant and should be provided to the protester
does not provide a basis to disallow the protester's costs of reviewing
these documents.
The Air Force also disputes attorneys' hours charged for challenging the
agency's request to dismiss the protests on the basis of the corrective
action proposed by the Air Force on March 3, 2006 in response to the ADR.
The protester primarily questioned the proposed corrective action because
it did not include reopening discussions as recommended in the ADR. The
Air Force essentially argues here that since our Office ultimately
dismissed the protest based on the Air Force's proposed corrective action,
the hours charged for this challenge were not reasonable costs of pursuing
the protest. We disagree. A protester may reasonably incur costs in
pursuit of its protest to ensure its rights are protected in the
disposition of the protest. The success or lack of success of such
objections or requests by a protester does not necessarily control whether
the costs incurred in making these requests are reimbursable. In fact, in
response to the protester's filings here, the Air Force indicated that it
might conduct discussions as part of its corrective action. In our view,
these costs incurred during the pendency of the protest were reasonable
costs of pursuing the protest.
Finally, the Air Force challenges the 1.7 hours charged for drafting the
request for our Office to recommend reimbursement of the protester's costs
of pursuing the protest, arguing that it was "erroneous as a matter of
law" for our Office to recommend that such costs be reimbursed. Air Force
Report on Claim at 10-11.[12] We regard these costs as reasonable costs of
pursuing a protest that has been dismissed by our Office on the basis of
agency corrective action under section 21.8(e) of our Bid Protest
Regulations. See, e.g., Georgia Power Co.; Savannah Electric and Power
Co.--Costs, B-289211.5; B-289211.6, May 2, 2002, 2002 CPD para. 81 at 12;
York Bldg Servs., Inc.; Olympus Bldg. Servs., Inc.---Costs, B-282887.10,
B-282887.11, Aug. 29, 2000, 2000 CPD para. 141 at 6 (reimbursability of
such protest costs recognized).[13] Section 21.8(e) requires a protester
to file a request for a recommendation that it be reimbursed its protest
costs within 15 days after our Office has dismissed a protest based upon
an agency's corrective action in order for our Office to find that the
protester should be reimbursed its protest costs where the agency unduly
delayed corrective action in response to a clearly meritorious protest.
See TRS Research--Costs, B-290644.2, June 10, 2003, 2003 CPD para. 112 at
3. This section is authorized by CICA, 31 U.S.C. sect. 3554(c)(1), which
provides that our Office may recommend that the protester be reimbursed
the costs of filing and pursuing the protest, including reasonable
attorneys' fees, where we find that a solicitation or the award of a
contract does not comply with a statute or regulation. Thus, a protester's
timely request to our Office for a recommendation that protest costs be
reimbursed is simply a step needed to obtain the remedy allowed if we find
the protest was clearly meritorious, and that award did not comply with a
statute or regulation. See Georgia Power Co.; Savannah Electric and Power
Co.--Costs, supra, at 7-9. T Square should be reimbursed its costs of
preparing the request for a recommendation that its protest costs be
reimbursed.
The Air Force also contends that the protester's attorneys' hourly rates
were unreasonable and should be capped at the statutory rate for
attorneys' fees of $150 per hour. Air Force Report on Claim at 6. This
argument fails to recognize that the referenced statutory cap is only
applicable where the protester is not a small business. 31 U.S.C.
sect. 3554(c)(2)(B). In this case, the protester is a small business,
which here competed on a small business set-aside. We note that the
protester offered with its claim detailed evidence supporting the
reasonableness of its claimed attorneys' rates. The Air Force has not
questioned this evidence, but only asserts that the claimed rates exceed
the inapplicable statutory cap. Based on the record, there is no basis to
question the reasonableness of the claimed rates.
The Air Force also contests T Square's request for its costs of pursuing
this claim at our Office. Our Bid Protest Regulations, 4 C.F.R. sect.
21.8(f)(2), provide that we may recommend reimbursement of the costs of
pursuing a claim before our Office. Pulau Elecs. Corp.--Costs, supra, at
11. This provision is intended to encourage the agency's expeditious and
reasonable consideration of a protester's claim for costs. JAFIT Enters.,
Inc.--Claim for Costs, B-266326.2, Mar. 31, 1997, 97-1 CPD para. 125 at 4.
The costs of pursuing a claim before our Office are recoverable if by
their nature and amount they do not exceed that which would be incurred by
a prudent person in a similar pursuit. Main Bldg. Maint., Inc.--Costs,
B-260945.6, Dec. 15, 1997, 97-2 CPD para. 163 at 10.
The Air Force explains that the delay in considering the claim was related
to both (1) the "reverse protest" filed by Data Monitor in the COFC and
(2) its belief that "the parties are so far apart with respect to what the
Protester is seeking in terms of protest costs and what the Agency
considers to be reasonable that there was no reasonable likelihood that
any amount of discussions would have resulted in a settlement without your
Office's involvement." Air Force Report on Claim at 11. While we have
taken into account a COFC action as a legitimate reason for an agency's
delay in considering a claim for protest costs, we consider other factors
as well in deciding whether to award the cost of pursuing a claim. BAE
Tech. Servs., Inc.--Costs, supra. In this case, there is no suggestion in
the record that the Air Force communicated to T Square, during the
pendency of the claim at that agency, that it regarded T Square's claim as
excessive or that it believed that the claim could not be resolved. If it
had done so, T Square presumably could have filed its claim with our
Office at a much earlier date; instead, the record showed that the Air
Force's counsel repeatedly advised T Square's counsel over a 6-month
period that the Air Force would consider the claim and the record shows
that this was never done. Moreover, as explained above, the Air Force's
defenses to the claim for protest costs are entirely without merit. Given
the Air Force's failure to reasonably consider T Square's cost claim, we
recommend that the firm be reimbursed the reasonable costs of pursuing its
claim before our Office.
In sum, we recommend that the Air Force reimburse T Square its claimed
costs of $51,611.83 for pursuing the protest plus the costs it incurred in
pursuing this claim at our Office.
Gary L. Kepplinger
General Counsel
------------------------
[1] In outcome prediction ADR, the GAO attorney handling a protest
convenes the parties, at their request or at GAO's initiative, and
explains what the GAO attorney believes the likely outcome will be and the
reasons for that belief. A GAO attorney will engage in this form of ADR
only if she or he has a high degree of confidence regarding the outcome.
Where the party predicted to lose the protest takes action obviating the
need for a written decision (either the agency taking corrective action or
the protester withdrawing the protest), our Office closes the case.
Although the outcome prediction reflects the view of the GAO attorney, and
generally that of a supervisor as well, it is not an opinion of our
Office, and it does not bind our Office, should issuance of a written
decision remain appropriate. See T Square Logistics Servs. Corp.,
B-297790.4, Apr. 26, 2006, 2006 CPD para. 78 at 3 n.1.
[2] These documents pertained to the communications/discussions that the
agency held with the awardee regarding past performance. In its protest,
the protester raised the possibility of unequal discussions regarding past
performance, so the GAO attorney determined this documentation was
relevant.
[3] In dismissing the protest, we observed, "In the event that it does not
receive the award, the protester may protest this decision, including the
nature of the corrective action." T Square Logistics Servs. Corp.,
B-297790 et al., supra, at 2.
[4] We note that the Air Force did not at that time (or now) dispute that
the protests were clearly meritorious or that the agency had unduly
delayed taking corrective action.
[5] As discussed earlier, this was the remedy suggested by the GAO
attorney in the ADR conference with regard to the previous protests of the
award.
[6] On September 12 (3 months after it had been filed), the Air Force
advised T Square that it would not then consider the claim because of a
reverse protest filed by Data Monitor in the Court of Federal Claims
(COFC). After the COFC complaint had been denied, T Square again
repeatedly and unsuccessfully attempted to get the Air Force to consider
its claim, until it filed at our Office on December 6.
[7] Our Office has held that where an agency takes corrective action prior
to receipt of the agency report, we generally will not recommend the
payment of protest costs. Veda Inc.--Entitlement to Costs, B-265809.2,
July 19, 1996, 96-2 CPD para. 27 at 2.
[8] We note that the agency may, at any time during the pendency of the
protest, take corrective action before the due date of the agency report
based upon its own assessment of the record, where it believes such action
is appropriate.
[9] During the 6-month period the claim was pending at the agency, the Air
Force never communicated this concern to the protester's attorney, and
raised it for the first time in its report to our Office on the claim.
[10] We note that the agency tacitly acknowledged the obvious
interrelationship of these issues by the nature of its corrective action
in response to the ADR. That is, the agency did not reopen discussions on
past performance, which was the remedy suggested in the ADR, but
reevaluated past performance without reopening discussions.
[11] In addition, the agency did not argue, when the protester's request
for reimbursement of its protest costs was pending at our Office, that the
protest costs were severable, nor did the Air Force request
reconsideration of our decision that did not recommend severance of
protest costs.
[12] The Air Force does not explain why it takes this position.
[13] The fact that we had already dismissed T Square's protest based upon
proposed corrective action does not bar recovery of these costs as protest
costs. Costs incurred after a decision on a protest has been issued on a
protest can be reimbursable protest costs. See, e.g., Blue Rock
Structures, Inc.--Costs, supra, (pursuit of a protest includes time spent
by an attorney in analyzing the ultimate decision and explaining it to the
client); Department of the Navy--Modification of Remedy, B-284080.3, May
24, 2000, 2000 CPD para. 99 at 4 (costs incurred defending against an
agency's request for modification of remedy are reimbursable protest
costs).