Updated February 6, 2026
The GAO Decision has now been posted for this protest. See details below.
DIGEST
1. Protest challenging the agency’s technical evaluation of the protester’s proposal is denied where the record demonstrates the evaluation was reasonable and consistent with the solicitation.
2. Protest challenging the agency’s realism analysis of the awardee’s professional employee compensation is denied where the record shows that the agency reasonably determined the proposed labor rates did not pose a significant risk to performance and reasonably used a market rate to evaluate proposed rates when the incumbent rate for a changed labor category was unreliably high.
3. Protest that the agency engaged in unequal discussions by engaging in interchanges with only one offeror is dismissed as an untimely challenge to terms of the solicitation where the solicitation expressly stated that the agency intended to make award without engaging in interchanges but reserved the right to engage in interchanges with only one, some, or all offerors.
4. Protest challenging the best-value tradeoff is denied where the record shows that the selection decision was reasonable and consistent with the terms of the solicitation.
DECISION
Inflowlogistics, LLC (Inflow), a small business of San Antonio, Texas, protests the issuance of a task order to Cherokee Nation Strategic Programs, LLC (CNSP), a small business of Tulsa, Oklahoma, under fair opportunity proposal request (FOPR) No. FA8773-24-F-0003, issued by the Department of the Air Force for training intelligence plans and exercise support for cyber readiness operations and weapons and tactics network defensive operations (also known as TRIPLECROWN II) at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas. The protester contends that the agency unreasonably evaluated its technical proposal and CNSP’s professional employee compensation, engaged in unequal discussions, and performed a flawed best-value tradeoff.
We deny the protest.
Protester: Inflowlogistics, LLC
Solicitation Number: FA8773-24-F-0003
Agency: Department of the Air Force
Outcome: Denied
Decision Date: January 20, 2026
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