The Government Accountability Office on Thursday rejected a protest against the new long-term Energy Department contract for support services at the Hanford Site in Washington state.
The potential 10-year, $4 billion contract was awarded in December to Hanford Mission Integration Solutions, comprised of Leidos, Centerra, and Parsons. A Huntington Ingalls Industries-led team that also bid on the work appealed the following month.
This protest is covered by a protective order, which means some information in the decision is deemed business confidential and might require redaction before public release, the GAO said in a brief notice on its website. A final redacted version of the decision will be posted when this process is complete, which usually happens within two weeks.
The GAO note does not offer any detail on the reasoning for its decision. Unlike in court cases, filings made by parties in GAO protests are not made public and the watchdog agency does not discuss them.
Shipbuilder and DOE contractor Huntington Ingalls previously declined to identify any other members of its team or discuss the nature of its bid protest. The company could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday morning.
The Energy Department has said three teams submitted applications to provide Hanford site-wide services, which cover tasks including site security and emergency services, recordkeeping, and managing the Hazardous Materials Management and Emergency Response (HAMMER) Federal Training Center. Industry speculation suggested that PAE, a government contractor once known as Pacific Architects and Engineers, was the third team.
Leidos and Centerra comprise the incumbent site services vendor at Hanford, Mission Support Alliance, which has the business currently worth about $4.6 billion since May 2009. It is working under a six-month extension set to expire May 25, although DOE said last month it intends to extend another six months.
