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| Northrop Grumman’s LRS-B award win’s protested by Boeing-Lockheed Martin has been denied by the GAO. Photo: Northrop Grumman |
[Avionics Today 02-17-2016] The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has denied a protest filed by Boeing challenging the Air Force’s award of a cost reimbursement contract to Northrop Grumman for engineering and manufacturing development, and early production of the Long Range Strike Bomber (LSRB).
“GAO reviewed the challenges to the selection decision raised by Boeing and has found no basis to sustain or uphold the protest. In denying Boeing’s protest, GAO concluded that the technical evaluation, and the evaluation of costs, was reasonable, consistent with the terms of the solicitation, and in accordance with procurement laws and regulations,” GAO said in a Feb. 16 statement regarding the decision.
The current contract for the LSRB is comprised of two parts: the engineering and manufacturing development phase and the subsequent options for the production of the first 21 aircraft. As the Air Force initially announced, the engineering and manufacturing development phase has an estimated value of $21.4 billion in 2010 dollars.
Boeing released a statement disagreeing with the GAO’s decision and alluding to further steps the company would take to contest it.
“We continue to believe that our offering represents the best solution for the Air Force and the nation, and that the government’s selection process was fundamentally and irreparably flawed,” Boeing said. “We will carefully review the GAO’s decision and decide upon our next steps with regard to the protest in the coming days.”