Command Languages, Inc. d/b/a CLI Solutions

CourtArmed Services Board of Contract Appeals
DecidedFebruary 7, 2020
DocketASBCA No. 61216
StatusPublished

This text of Command Languages, Inc. d/b/a CLI Solutions (Command Languages, Inc. d/b/a CLI Solutions) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Command Languages, Inc. d/b/a CLI Solutions, (asbca 2020).

Opinion

ARMED SERVICES BOARD OF CONTRACT APPEALS

Appeal of-- ) ) Command Languages, Inc. d/b/a CLI Solutions ) ASBCA No. 61216 ) Under Contract No. W56HZV-15-C-0200 )

APPEARANCES FOR THE APPELLANT: Eric WhytselL Esq. Rodney W. Stieger, Esq. Stinson LLP Denver, CO

Scott R. Williamson, Esq. Williamson Law Group LLC Frederick, MD

APPEARANCES FOR THE GOVERNMENT: Scott N. Flesch, Esq. Army Chief Trial Attorney MAJ Ronald M. Herrmann, JA Trial Attorney

OPINION BY ADMINISTRATIVE JUDGE KINNER

Appellant, Command Languages, Inc. d/b/a CLI Solutions (CLI) challenges the denial of its claim by the Army Contracting Command (ACC) regarding its creation of technical manuals (TMs) and programs of instruction (PO Is) for training the Afghanistan National Army (ANA) to maintain an armored vehicle provided under prior contracts. CLI claims ACC required it to include descriptions of lower level maintenance tasks that were beyond the scope of its contract to create higher level manuals. A hearing of this appeal was conducted August 13-14, 2018. Only entitlement is before the Board.

FINDINGS OF FACT

As a result of a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, Afghan forces have been supplied an enhanced version of the Army's M-117 Armored Security Vehicle (ASV) (tr. 1/206, 2/52-55). This enhanced armored vehicle, called the Mobile Strike Force Vehicle (MSFV), is manufactured by Textron (id.). As the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), Textron also provided maintenance manuals (tr. 1/135, 2/53, 2/94). The OEM manuals covered two basic levels of maintenance (tr. 2/94). The Army classifies equipment maintenance by four levels, 10, 20, 30, and 40 (tr. 1/31-32). Level 10 maintenance is performed by the equipment operator (tr. 2/62). Level 20 maintenance is performed by the organizational unit which operates the equipment (id.). Level 30 maintenance includes tasks that are more than a unit can perform, including some refurbishing (id.). Maintenance tasks at the 40 level are tasks performed at a national depot level, such as refurbishment, overhauls, etc. (tr. 2/62-63).

When the Army considered obtaining new maintenance manuals for the MSFV, the OEM 10 and 20 level manuals were already in use in Afghanistan (tr. 1/68, 1/180, 2/17, 2/93, 2/112-15). The OEM manuals had been translated by computer programs into Dari and Pashtu (tr. 2/55). Computer translations are not as accurate as manual translation services (tr. 1/25). Nonetheless, using the computer translated MSFV manuals and programs of instruction, Afghan soldiers had already received a 20 week training program that taught the MSFV 10 and 20 level manuals tasks (tr. 2/63, 2/113).

The Army did not have 30 and 40 level manuals to support more advanced training (tr. 2/63). Having received critical evaluations of the computer translation of the OEM manuals, the ACC Allied Tactical Vehicle program office (ATV) was determined to ensure that MSFV manuals for higher level maintenance tasks would be made easily understandable by Afghan personnel (R4, tab 10 at 133; tr. 2/95-97). The OEM manuals were written at a 7th- I 0th grade reading level, which is typical of technical manuals (tr. 1/69, 1/85-87, 1/122-23, 1/137, 2/93, 2/97). Therefore, the program office sought to procure more accurately translated 30 and 40 level manuals, but at a 3rd grade reading level (tr. 2/148).

The program office was familiar with a previous contract for simplified contract manuals and used that contract as a sample for what was sought in the contract for 30 and 40 level MSFV manuals (tr. 2/58, 2/139). Over time, as the requirements office developed the statement of work, it became "relatively clear" what they were looking for in a new contract (tr. 2/147-48). The maintenance tasks for the new manuals were not drawn from the Textron manuals (tr. 2/ 11-13). Instead, Christopher Simons, ATV contracting officer representative (COTR), created a new maintenance allocation chart task list, which was derived from 30 and 40 level manuals for the ASV, and some tasks from the existing MSFV manuals (id.). The goal was to procure technical manuals that would "allow primarily people from an agrarian background with an average third grade level of literacy, the ability to look at a pictorial display and understand how to [perform maintenance tasks] for the MSFV ... and it would be easier [for a person] with that background to understand pictures rather than just using words" (tr. 2/142).

The Army published a combined synopsis and solicitation on the FedBizOps.gov website for simplified 30 and 40 level manuals and programs of instruction for the MSFV on February 18, 2015 (R4, tab 2). The FedBizOps announcement informed potential offerors that it was the only "solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued" (id. at 66). In

2 accordance with FAR 52.212-1 (g), the solicitation stated that the government intended to award a contract without discussions, but it reserved the right to conduct discussions if it was determined by the contracting officer to be necessary (id. at 69). "In addition, the government reserve[ d] the right, without entering discussions, to request additional information necessary to support the offeror's price in order to determine price reasonableness" (id.). The government never used these provisions to clarify CLI's proposal or its price.

The desired pictorial nature of the 30 and 40 level manuals was not described in the FedBizOps announcement in the Rule 4 file (R4, tabs 2, 3). Between March 2 and April 7, 2015 the FedBizOps solicitation was amended eleven times (R4, tabs 5-16). On March 15, 2015, contrary to the statement in the initial announcement, ACC issued a second version of the solicitation as a written hard copy (R4, tab 10). The second version was issued with the same solicitation number, although amendments that followed were issued via FedBizOps (R4, tabs 11-16). Any offeror submitting a proposal in response to the FedBizOps solicitation received a copy of the second hard copy solicitation (tr. 1/210-11).

The requirement for pictorial display of the maintenance tasks to be described in the new 30 and 40 level manuals was reflected in the second solicitation and in the final contract on July 15, 2015 (R4, tab 1 at 28, tab 10 at 133). Paragraph C.2.1. ofthe statement of work states that "[t]he contractor shall include relevant photos of individual steps within tasks with concise active support language to coincide with the pictorial step by step approach. The TMs and POI shall be written at a literacy level commensurate with a Western 3rd Grade Primary School comprehension level when such step down in presentation/approach will not degrade the context and intent of the task" (id.).

Both government and CLI witnesses understood that the purpose of the procurement was to obtain 30 and 40 level manuals, not 10 and 20 level task descriptions (tr. 1/67, 1/132, 1/144, 1/174, 1/201-02, 1/213, 2/17, 2/63, 2/93, 2/116). Paragraph C.1.1. states "[ c]urrently the ANA have 10 and 20 level technical manuals and programs of instruction, but need TMs and POI for 30 and 40 level maintenance" (R4, tab 1 at 28, tab 10 at 132-33). And, "[t]his effort is to develop and deliver 30 and 40 level TMs with associated POI, to promote an organic MSFV sustainment capability within the ANA" (id.).

This dispute is centered on the sentence that appears between those statements in C.1.1.: "The 10 and 20 level TMs and associated POI are provided to authorized sources as government furnished information (GFI) for reference" (id.). Paragraph C.2.2. of the contract statement of work lists information provided as GFI, including ASV manuals and other technical manuals "provided as a reference point for TM development" (R4, tab 1 at 28). That paragraph instructed CLI to develop new tasks

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