Global Knowledge Training prevails against incumbent contractor in GAO protest
Client(s) Global Knowledge Training LLC
On behalf of Global Knowledge Training, LLC, Jones Day successfully intervened and defended against a protest brought by the incumbent contractor challenging a General Services Administration's ("GSA") award to Global Knowledge of a multi-million dollar information technology training contract to support the U.S. Army Europe ("USAREUR"). The protest challenged the government's evaluation of proposals under the staffing and past performance evaluation factors, as well as the agency's best-value award decision which was made without conducting a best value trade-off against the incumbent's (protester's) offer.
Jones Day attorneys successfully opposed the protester's attempts to expand both the scope of document production to require production of Global Knowledge's proposal, as well as the protester's attempt to expand the Government Accountability Office's ("GAO") "close at hand" doctrine against the GSA on the grounds that the procurement was conducted for the benefit of, and use by, the USAREUR, which had awarded the incumbent's contract. Jones Day submitted comments on the agency report addressing the merits of the protest. In resolving the protest, the GAO rejected each of the protest grounds, finding that none of them had merit. As a result, the GAO denied the protest in its entirety.
