GAO says no to contract protests

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) last week denied protests to over $372 million for two contracts related to healthcare.

GAO denied CGI Federal’s protest against a $230 million awarded contract to Computer Sciences (CSC) to develop an IT system for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to streamline the design, development, operation and maintenance of four different IT systems that support the HealthCare Quality Information System (HCQIS).

CGI, of Fairfax, Va., argued that CMS's discussions with CGI were misleading and unequal as compared with those the agency held with CSC; CMS improperly evaluated and failed to properly document its evaluation of the cost proposals submitted by CGI and CSC; CMS's past performance and technical evaluations were improper; and, as a consequence, the award decision was flawed.

In addition, GAO denied contractor ACS Federal Solutions’s protest over a $142 million contract to CSC for medical billing processing services from the U.S. Department of Labor. ACS asserted that the agency failed to conduct adequate discussions.

 

Around the web

The tirzepatide shortage that first began in 2022 has been resolved. Drug companies distributing compounded versions of the popular drug now have two to three more months to distribute their remaining supply.

The 24 members of the House Task Force on AI—12 reps from each party—have posted a 253-page report detailing their bipartisan vision for encouraging innovation while minimizing risks. 

Merck sent Hansoh Pharma, a Chinese biopharmaceutical company, an upfront payment of $112 million to license a new investigational GLP-1 receptor agonist. There could be many more payments to come if certain milestones are met.