# GAO Sustains USACE A/E Services Protest

The Government Accountability Office sustained Michael Baker-International Stantec JV’s protest of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers architect-engineer services competition, finding that the Corps penalized the joint venture for not submitting experience with a specific design-bid-build project type that the solicitation did not require. GAO recommended reevaluating the joint venture and establishing a new ranking. The procurement covers approximately five IDIQ contracts with **$200 million in shared capacity**, and individual task orders are expected to range from $250,000 to $25 million.

- The decision highlights the risk of applying evaluation criteria beyond those stated in a solicitation. Contracting teams should align evaluations with the published criteria; offerors should compare solicitation requirements and Q&A responses against evaluation rationales.
- Affected offerors can use the decision as a reminder to document evaluation concerns and preserve the record when an agency appears to apply unstated requirements.
- The recommended reevaluation may affect the competition’s ranking and award outcomes, making the IDIQ opportunity relevant to A/E firms pursuing Corps task orders.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Construction & Infrastructure
**Topics:** Contracting Vehicles
**Published:** November 09, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
- Government Accountability Office (GAO)

### Vendors
- Michael Baker-International Stantec JV (protester and offeror)

### Sources
- [Protest Sustained by GAO in A/E Services Competition](https://natlawreview.com/article/gao-sustains-protest-after-army-corps-applies-unstated-evaluation-criterion-ae) - The National Law Review