Protest Decision
359 KB Posted
- Attached to
- Agency Contract - Campus Bookstore Operation
- Solicitation number
- 82700-CTT0000046
- Issued by
- Georgia
About this file
This is a protest decision document issued by the Georgia Department of Administrative Services regarding the award of a campus bookstore operations contract for Chattahoochee Technical College. Textbook Brokers (BJJ Corporation), represented by Nick Sherrod, protested the award of the contract (CTT0000046) to Follett. The protest was based on Textbook Brokers' contention that Follett should not have received 27 points in the cost proposal's additional compensation section for their Point-of-Sale (POS) System, arguing that a POS system is a necessary, industry-standard technology that does not provide added value to the college. Textbook Brokers asserted that if the 27 points were removed from Follett's score, Textbook Brokers would have been the highest bidder by 17 points. The protest was formally submitted on September 13, 2021, following Textbook Brokers' receipt of scoring documents on September 7, 2021.
On October 5, 2021, the Georgia Department of Administrative Services closed the protest file after the Technical Colleges System of Georgia cancelled the RFP (Chattahoochee Technical College-Campus Bookstore Operation Bid), rendering the protest moot. Deputy General Counsel Catherine McCall Ginsberg of the Department of Administrative Services issued the final decision stating that no further action was required. The cancellation of the procurement eliminated the need to adjudicate the merits of Textbook Brokers' protest regarding the scoring methodology and point allocation for the POS system component of the competing proposals.
Text of this file
From: Ginsberg, McCall To: Nick Sherrod Cc: Renshaw, Kevin; Forret, Moira; Hunter, Toyia M.; Protests, DOAS; Steele, Carrie Subject: RE: Chattahoochee Technical College - Campus Bookstore Operation Date: Tuesday, October 5, 2021 8:23:30 PM Attachments: image001.png image002.png
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The Georgia Department of Administrative Services has received notice from the Technical Colleges System of Georgia has cancelled RFP Chattahoochee Technical College-Campus Bookstore Operation Bid (CTT0000046-Agency Contract - Campus Bookstore Operation), which renders the protest moot. No further action is required by the Georgia Department of Administrative Services, so the protest file will be closed.
If you have any questions about the Technical College System of Georgia’s future procurement plans, please contact the issuing officer.
Catherine “McCall” Ginsberg Deputy General Counsel Georgia Department of Administrative Services McCall.Ginsberg@DOAS.Ga.Gov 404-657-0586 Lead. Empower. Collaborate.
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From: Nick Sherrod <nsherrod@textbookbrokers.com> Sent: Monday, September 13, 2021 4:25 PM To: Protests, DOAS <DOAS.Protests@doas.ga.gov> Subject: Fwd: Chattahoochee Technical College - Campus Bookstore Operation
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September 13, 2021
To whom this may concern:
Textbook Brokers is officially protesting the awarding of the Chattahoochee Technical College-Campus Bookstore Operation Bid (CTT0000046-Agency Contract - Campus Bookstore Operation) to Follett. In the Cost Proposal, Follett was given 27 points in the additional compensation section for their "Point of Sale System." Since a Point-of-Sale System is necessary to do business, an industry-standard, and does not provide any added value or compensation to Chattahoochee Technical College, Follett should not be awarded any points for the POS System in the additional compensation section. Therefore, if Follett was graded as such, Textbook Brokers (BJJ Corporation) would be the highest bidder by 17 points.
mailto:McCall.Ginsberg@doas.ga.gov mailto:nsherrod@textbookbrokers.com mailto:krenshaw@follett.com mailto:mforret@follett.com mailto:THunter@tcsg.edu mailto:DOAS.Protests@doas.ga.gov mailto:carrie.steele@doas.ga.gov https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoas.ga.gov%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cthunter%40tcsg.edu%7Ccaf227ae0475426a13a808d9885f834c%7Cbda911050729491594d7ec5b3c37c90f%7C0%7C0%7C637690766094613082%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=o2zdDfR07xbU6pxafaDHoQMlW57XT1tFT%2Fn5w88TvXs%3D&reserved=0 mailto:McCall.Ginsberg@DOAS.Ga.Gov https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fteamgeorgia.us5.list-manage.com%2Ftrack%2Fclick%3Fu%3D5b9f6808fa4e1caeb54cbac36%26id%3Df2ba4da741%26e%3D1c2847c3e2&data=04%7C01%7Cthunter%40tcsg.edu%7Ccaf227ae0475426a13a808d9885f834c%7Cbda911050729491594d7ec5b3c37c90f%7C0%7C0%7C637690766094613082%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=RTDiRPTYwtj%2FOYd%2FPXhpc8xKPNBEY%2FvY0FDmBU5Mbps%3D&reserved=0 https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fteamgeorgia.us5.list-manage.com%2Ftrack%2Fclick%3Fu%3D5b9f6808fa4e1caeb54cbac36%26id%3D6bb17387c8%26e%3D1c2847c3e2&data=04%7C01%7Cthunter%40tcsg.edu%7Ccaf227ae0475426a13a808d9885f834c%7Cbda911050729491594d7ec5b3c37c90f%7C0%7C0%7C637690766094623080%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=3AxROCdv9t4zK4XRQihDkVJyHqjX75pW4EGp%2FQAz8mA%3D&reserved=0 https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fteamgeorgia.us5.list-manage.com%2Ftrack%2Fclick%3Fu%3D5b9f6808fa4e1caeb54cbac36%26id%3D4b4bfbaed2%26e%3D1c2847c3e2&data=04%7C01%7Cthunter%40tcsg.edu%7Ccaf227ae0475426a13a808d9885f834c%7Cbda911050729491594d7ec5b3c37c90f%7C0%7C0%7C637690766094633074%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=%2FGhLKcE9MMDbEizNIMpZKDX%2Bgk9uM0YLwl65bpKeMIQ%3D&reserved=0
Please note: We requested vital information regarding the details of the bid on August 30, 2021 and didn't receive this information until September 7th, 2021. That information was necessary to analyze scoring and identify if there were any grounds that required a protest. We also didn't receive any communication about our concerns and wanting to protest until today, September 13th, 2021.
Thank you for your time and consideration. We look forward to discussing further and hearing a response.
Sincerely, Nick Sherrod | Regional Sales Director 1321 Greenland Drive, Murfreesboro, TN 37130 Phone | 615-943-9433 TextbookBrokers.com
On Mon, Sep 13, 2021 at 2:16 PM Hunter, Toyia M. <THunter@tcsg.edu> wrote:
Good Afternoon Nick, Please see below on how to formally submit your protest.
A protest is considered to be properly filed when it is in writing and signed by a company officer authorized to sign contracts on behalf of the supplier or legal counsel that has been engaged by the supplier, is submitted via e-mail to protests@doas.ga.gov, and is received by the Deputy Commissioner within the filing period.
Kind Regards, Toyia M. Hunter Director of Purchasing Office of Administrative Services 404.679.1773| thunter@tcsg.edu| TCSG.edu
From: Nick Sherrod [mailto:nsherrod@textbookbrokers.com] Sent: Monday, September 13, 2021 3:08 PM To: Hunter, Toyia M. <THunter@tcsg.edu> Cc: Alex Sherrod <asherrod@textbookbrokers.com> Subject: Re: Chattahoochee Technical College - Campus Bookstore Operation https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.textbookbrokers.com%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cthunter%40tcsg.edu%7Ccaf227ae0475426a13a808d9885f834c%7Cbda911050729491594d7ec5b3c37c90f%7C0%7C0%7C637690766094643068%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=WDzmr%2FeNHtA1kf7XSkOcoJCsqUK76LWAIi5Nq0lT%2FRY%3D&reserved=0 mailto:THunter@tcsg.edu mailto:protests@doas.ga.gov https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftcsg.edu%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cthunter%40tcsg.edu%7Ccaf227ae0475426a13a808d9885f834c%7Cbda911050729491594d7ec5b3c37c90f%7C0%7C0%7C637690766094643068%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=0My%2B7VzBElHbEcR8txTLg%2F1152CrsrDSIhxm8%2FrxR3c%3D&reserved=0 mailto:thunter@tcsg.edu mailto:nsherrod@textbookbrokers.com mailto:THunter@tcsg.edu mailto:asherrod@textbookbrokers.com
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Sorry, when I look at it again, I do not think Follett should have been awarded the 27 points. Follett was awarded 27 points for the additional compensation section when technology shouldn't be considered to be additional compensation since the technology (POS) is necessary to do business and an industry standard.
Therefore, if you subtract 27 points from Follett's score, then we (Textbook Brokers) would have been the highest bidder.
How do we proceed with the protest process?
Sincerely, Nick Sherrod | Regional Sales Director 1321 Greenland Drive, Murfreesboro, TN 37130
On Mon, Sep 13, 2021 at 1:22 PM Nick Sherrod <nsherrod@textbookbrokers.com> wrote:
Good afternoon, I'm following up on this email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely, Nick Sherrod | Regional Sales Director 1321 Greenland Drive, Murfreesboro, TN 37130
On Tue, Sep 7, 2021 at 10:45 AM Nick Sherrod <nsherrod@textbookbrokers.com> wrote:
Good morning, I'm really concerned about how this proposal was scored, and that is why I would like to protest the award. In Follett's cost proposal, they list their POS system at $60,000/year. A POS System and bookstore technology is something bookstore companies offer regardless since all companies own their technology and are necessary to operate. We didn't put a dollar amount for it since it is insinuated we have our own technology. So to compare apples to apples, we should be credited a $60,000/year allowance as they were in the scoring. In good faith, Textbook Brokers should be awarded this contract.
Sincerely, https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.textbookbrokers.com%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cthunter%40tcsg.edu%7Ccaf227ae0475426a13a808d9885f834c%7Cbda911050729491594d7ec5b3c37c90f%7C0%7C0%7C637690766094653064%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=GKtyFZQhGOA1dQ4Wk0404%2Fgd%2BifwJD0ulU5b2EjPv40%3D&reserved=0 mailto:nsherrod@textbookbrokers.com https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.textbookbrokers.com%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cthunter%40tcsg.edu%7Ccaf227ae0475426a13a808d9885f834c%7Cbda911050729491594d7ec5b3c37c90f%7C0%7C0%7C637690766094663058%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=r%2BTiz5C8Hr2PP9Y1FCZCW6sqdEfgBjAa6UL4RWa38Yc%3D&reserved=0
Nick Sherrod | Regional Sales Director 1321 Greenland Drive, Murfreesboro, TN 37130
On Tue, Sep 7, 2021 at 8:48 AM Hunter, Toyia M. <THunter@tcsg.edu> wrote:
Good Morning, Here is the Master Technical Evaluation Template, Cost Evaluation, Notice of Intent to Award (NOIA) and sign tabulation sheet for the Campus Bookstore Operation for Chattahoochee Technical College.
Please let me know if you have any additional questions and or concerns, Kind Regards, Toyia M. Hunter Director of Purchasing Office of Administrative Services 404.679.1773| thunter@tcsg.edu| TCSG.edu
From: Alex Sherrod [mailto:asherrod@textbookbrokers.com] Sent: Thursday, September 2, 2021 12:34 PM To: Hunter, Toyia M. <THunter@tcsg.edu> Cc: Nick Sherrod <nsherrod@textbookbrokers.com> Subject: Re: CTC and GTC Score Sheets
CAUTION:This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Good morning, I just wanted to follow up on the request for the CTC and GTC score sheets, submitted proposals, etc.
If there is anything else I can do to help expedite the process or if there is anyone else I need to reach out to acquire this information, please let me know.
Thank you, Alex Sherrod | Regional Marketing Director 1321 Greenland Drive Murfreesboro, TN 37130 Phone | 615-631-9416 https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.textbookbrokers.com%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cthunter%40tcsg.edu%7Ccaf227ae0475426a13a808d9885f834c%7Cbda911050729491594d7ec5b3c37c90f%7C0%7C0%7C637690766094663058%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=r%2BTiz5C8Hr2PP9Y1FCZCW6sqdEfgBjAa6UL4RWa38Yc%3D&reserved=0 mailto:THunter@tcsg.edu https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftcsg.edu%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cthunter%40tcsg.edu%7Ccaf227ae0475426a13a808d9885f834c%7Cbda911050729491594d7ec5b3c37c90f%7C0%7C0%7C637690766094673050%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=ImuFeMJejr%2BdLTijYKLcAIhAvvjVPum1QS2xLmuMMjw%3D&reserved=0 mailto:thunter@tcsg.edu mailto:asherrod@textbookbrokers.com mailto:THunter@tcsg.edu https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.textbookbrokers.com%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cthunter%40tcsg.edu%7Ccaf227ae0475426a13a808d9885f834c%7Cbda911050729491594d7ec5b3c37c90f%7C0%7C0%7C637690766094683046%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=lqFZ%2B%2FN%2BMeKg3jED5EsIYXY7W8clsc58lV2z6LC%2FwfM%3D&reserved=0
On Mon, Aug 30, 2021 at 9:17 AM Alex Sherrod <asherrod@textbookbrokers.com> wrote:
Good morning, Thank you for the opportunity to bid on the CTC and GTC solicitations. On August 10th and 27th, 2021, we received the notice of intent to award to Follett for both schools. We would like to formally request copies of all submitted proposals, score sheets, and anything relevant to the decision to award these contracts to Follett.
Sincerely, Alex Sherrod | Regional Marketing Director 1321 Greenland Drive Murfreesboro, TN 37130 Phone | 615-631-9416 TextbookBrokers.com mailto:asherrod@textbookbrokers.com https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.textbookbrokers.com%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cthunter%40tcsg.edu%7Ccaf227ae0475426a13a808d9885f834c%7Cbda911050729491594d7ec5b3c37c90f%7C0%7C0%7C637690766094683046%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=lqFZ%2B%2FN%2BMeKg3jED5EsIYXY7W8clsc58lV2z6LC%2FwfM%3D&reserved=0
Other files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| Cancellation Notice | — | |
| Notice of Intent to Award | — | |
| Tabulation Sheet | — | |
| Protest | — |
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