Updated September 22, 2025
The GAO Decision has now been posted for the Alliant Health Solutions protest denial. See details below.
DIGEST
1. Protest that the agency unfairly amended the solicitation only for the awardee when it removed requirements during exchanges the agency held only with the awardee is denied where the protester failed to show that it would have altered its proposal had it known of the agency’s changed requirement.
2. Protest that the agency unreasonably investigated an alleged impaired objectivity organizational conflict of interest is denied where the record did not contain clear evidence showing that the investigation was unreasonable.
3. Protest that the agency unreasonably evaluated the awardee’s professional employee compensation plan is denied where the record shows that the agency assessed the realism of the awardee’s labor rates and fringe benefits and effect on recruitment and retention.
4. Protest that the agency unreasonably conducted its cost realism evaluation is denied where the record shows that the agency determined that the majority of the proposed rates reflected actual employee salary data, and that all proposed rates were comparable to General Services Administration benchmark rates.
5. Protest that the awardee unreasonably failed to provide a copy of its subcontractor agreement as required by the solicitation is denied where the record shows that the awardee provided a copy of a negotiation memorandum which included all information needed to evaluate the proposal.
6. Protest that the agency unreasonably evaluated the protester’s technical proposal is denied where the record shows that the agency reasonably concluded that the protester failed to respond adequately to a scenario question.
7. Protest that the agency unreasonably established the competitive range is denied where the record shows that the agency reasonably compared the underlying merit of the competing proposals.
DECISION
Alliant Health Solutions, Inc., of Atlanta, Georgia, protests the award of a task order to Health Quality Innovators (HQI), of Henrico, Virginia, under Task Order Request for Proposal (TORP) No. 75FCMC25RJ019, issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), for the agency’s Region 3, Quality Improvement Network-Quality Improvement Organization (“QIN-QIO”) program. Alliant contends that CMS misevaluated proposals and made an unreasonable selection decision.
We deny the protest.
Updated September 17, 2025
The GAO Decision has now been posted for the Island Peer Review Organization, Inc- dba IPRO protest sustainment. See details below.
DIGEST
1. Protest challenging the evaluation of the awardee’s proposal under an eligibility assessment is sustained where the contemporaneous record is insufficiently documented to allow our Office to review the agency’s decision for reasonableness, and where the agency’s post‑protest statements are not consistent with the record and indicate that aspects of the evaluation were not documented.
2. Protest challenging the agency’s technical evaluation of proposals and best‑value tradeoff decision is denied where the protester fails to demonstrate that the agency’s evaluation and decision were unreasonable.
DECISION
Island Peer Review Organization, Inc., doing business as IPRO, of Lake Success, New York, protests the issuance of a task order to Superior Health Quality Alliance (Superior Health), of Madison, Wisconsin, under the instant task order request for proposals (TORP)[1] issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), for healthcare quality improvement services. The protester challenges the agency’s evaluation of proposals under the eligibility assessment and the technical factor, as well as the best‑value tradeoff decision.
We sustain the protest.
These challenges come on the heels of multiple task awards being announced related to NQIIC solicitation.
Note: Both protests below are related to the NQIIC requirements. One references the new solicitation and the other references an older solicitation.
Protester: Alliant Health Solutions, Inc.
Solicitation Number: 75FCMC25RJ019
Agency: Department of Health and Human Services : Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
File number: B-423598.1
Outcome: Denied
Decision Date: September 12, 2025
Track Related GAO Activity Here
Protester: Island Peer Review Organization, Inc- dba IPRO
Solicitation Number: 75FCMC18R0016
Agency: Department of Health and Human Services : Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
File number: B-417297.2
Outcome: Sustained
Decision Date: September 12, 2025
Track Related GAO Activity Here
