The Government Accountability Office has denied a bid protest filed in response to the U.S. Agency for International Development’s award decision on the Global Health Supply Chain — Procurement and Supply Management project, the agency’s largest-ever contract, valued at $9.5 billion.
The Partnership for Supply Chain Management, a consortium of government contractors including John Snow, Inc., previously held the award. In filing the protest, the consortium argued USAID did not adequately account for the value of past experience and accepted an unreasonably low-priced proposal without ensuring the work could actually be carried out at that price. Those charges were not supported by GAO, which denied the protest Tuesday.
The Global Health Supply Chain project will now fall to a new consortium of implementers led by Chemonics International, Inc. The project coordinates a massive logistical effort to distribute livesaving drugs and treatments to combat and treat a range of diseases, including HIV and AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis.
About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.