SCORING OR RATING IN SOURCE SELECTION: A Continuing Source Of Confusion

SCORING OR RATING IN SOURCE SELECTION: A Continuing Source Of Confusion

by Vernon J. Edwards

The Nash & Cibinic Report

Courtesy of Thompson Reuters

Published with permission of the author

Two protest decisions show that some Contracting Officers do not understand the difference between evaluating proposals and scoring or rating them and do not understand the proper role of scores or ratings in contractor selection processes.

In Beta Analytics International, Inc. v. U.S., 67 Fed. Cl. 384 (2005), declaratory relief ordered, 2005 WL 3150612 (Fed. Cl. Nov 23, 2005), 47 GC ¶ 524, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims decided a postaward bid protest in favor of the plaintiff because the source selection official relied on unsupported average scores in making her decision. In YORK Building Services, Inc., Comp. Gen. Dec. B-296948.2, 2005 CPD ¶ 202, 47 GC ¶ 537, the Comptroller General sustained the protest because the source selection official relied on unsupported total scores to make a decision that was inconsistent with the terms of the Request for Proposals.