“In mid-February, we reported that Science Applications International Corp. had lost its protest involving a $2.5 billion NASA enterprise IT contract that the incumbent lost to Leidos.
SAIC was the incumbent, but lost the recompete to Leidos…”
“Of particular interest is SAIC’s allegation that Leidos gained an unfair competitive advantage because the latter hired as a consultant a former NASA official who was the source selection authority during the early days of the contract’s development…”
“GAO’s decision opens a door into the sometimes-murky world of hiring former federal officials and when they can be involved in projects they worked on when in government. The decision describes in great detail SAIC’s allegations, as well as the responses of NASA and Leidos.
From GAO’s perspective, whether he was hired as a consultant or a full-time employee made no difference…”
“SAIC argued that knowledge gave Leidos an unfair advantage because it gave them access to information that was not publicly available.
In their defense, Leidos and NASA countered that this person (identified only as X in the protest decision) participated in two early requests for information. But he recused himself and left NASA before the procurement strategy meeting was held and the draft and final solicitations were issued…” Read the full article here.
Source: Denied protest offers lessons about hiring former feds – By Nick Wakeman, March 3, 2022. Washington Technology.
