ED Proposes “Do Over” in RFP for Private Collection Services

Last Friday the Department of Education (ED) filed its proposed plan to remedy problems identified by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in its March 27 decision on the multiple protests filed by bidders on it’s the December 2015 ED RFP for Debt Collection Services. The 18-page document, labeled Defendants Notice of Corrective Action, was filed with the United States Court of Federal Claims in conjunction with the consolidated lawsuits filed by unsuccessful bidders in the RFO process (Case Nos. 17-449C and 17-499C, U.S. Court of Claims). 

The proposal was submitted in response to the court’s Order for Preliminary Injunction of May 2, 2017. In short, ED notified the court that it intends to take corrective action by making minor amendments to Solicitation No. ED-FSA-16-R-0009 (the solicitation), requesting revised proposals, and conducting a new evaluation. 

ED argues: “As a result of ED’s decision to take corrective action, plaintiffs’ challenges to the evaluation of their proposals are moot, because plaintiffs will have the opportunity to submit revised proposals and ED will conduct an evaluation of their proposals in accordance with the amended solicitation.”