NSA to reconsider $2.4B analyst contract after protests from Booz Allen and Leidos

The National Security Agency (NSA) will rethink a $2.4 billion contract it gave to CACI International after two competitors, Booz Allen Hamilton and Leidos challenged the contract with the Government Accountability Office.

The IT services heavyweights filed complaints with the GAO on Oct. 31 over NSA’s FocusedFox contract which covers the agency’s need for network and exploitation analyst services that will support its next generation analyst framework. 

As a result of the bid protests, NSA will reevaluate all proposals and make a new source selection decision, federal agency sources told FedScoop. GAO dismissed the protests on Nov. 14 because of the corrective action being taken.

The FocusedFox contract is intended to provide the agency with analysts who have a deep understanding of adversary networks, network defenses, and cyber network operational capabilities.

Booz Allen and Leidos argued the agency did not properly evaluate proposals and also challenged the agency’s cost evaluation while Leidos also said the NSA conducted an improper best-value determination.

This is the second major multi-billion dollar contract won by CACI that has been challenged in the past year.

In August, the Air Force chose CACI for a potential $5.7 billion enterprise IT services contract in August that was challenged by three other competitors, Accenture, Peraton, and Science Applications International Corp. 

The NSA, Booz Allen, CACI International and Leidos did not immediately respond to a request for comment.