# Court Upholds White Sands Army Award

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims denied Trax International’s protest of the Army’s **$450 million** White Sands Missile Range mission-support award to Southwest Range Services JV, finding Trax had not shown that outputs from the Army’s Fast Track AI tool caused specific evaluation errors. The court separately ordered the government to explain changing disclosures about the tool’s use; that show-cause process could result in sanctions for Army attorneys but will not change the award outcome.

- For bidders, the ruling highlights the need to connect claims about AI-assisted evaluations to specific errors in the evaluation record; Trax’s protest was denied because it did not make that showing.
- The award remains in place, so the protest does not alter Southwest Range Services JV’s position on the mission-support work at White Sands Missile Range.
- The court’s order makes disclosure of AI use a relevant issue in this procurement: agencies and contractors should maintain clear records of how AI tools were used and how evaluation findings were reached.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Defense & Military
**Topics:** Artificial Intelligence
**Published:** September 30, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. Army (Army)
- U.S. Court of Federal Claims (COFC)

### Vendors
- Trax International Corp. (bidder)
- Southwest Range Services (awardee and joint venture)

### Sources
- [Trax loses White Sands protest, but judge hits government over AI disclosures - Washington Technology](https://www.washingtontechnology.com/contracts/2026/09/trax-loses-white-sands-protest-judge-hits-government-over-ai-disclosures/416334) - Washington Technology