Under the FAR’s limitations on subcontracting clause, the work to be performed by a 1099 independent contractor did not count toward the prime contractor’s performance.

In a recent bid protest decision, the GAO held that a procuring agency properly rejected an offeror’s proposal because the offeror was relying, in part, on an independent contractor to meet its obligations under the limitations on subcontracting clause.

The GAO’s decision in MindPoint Group, LLC, B-409562 (May 8, 2014) involved a Department of Justice solicitation for information technology infrastructure support.  The proposal was issued as a set-aside for Economically Disadvantaged Woman Owned Small Businesses (EDWOSBs), and incorporated FAR 52.219-14, the standard limitation on subcontracting clause.  For a services contract, FAR 52.219-14 requires the EDWOSB to perform at least 50 percent of the cost of contract performance incurred for personnel with its own employees.

MindPoint Group, LLC submitted a proposal.  MindPoint’s proposal stated that MindPoint would self-perform 53.3 percent of the contract effort using seven individuals, including an individual designated as the “Systems Administrator MS.”  However, MindPoint’s proposal included a letter of commitment stating that the Systems Administrator MS would be an “independent consultant,” and MindPoint’s price proposal referred to the individual as a “1099 Consultant.”

Keep reading this article at: http://smallgovcon.com/gaobidprotests/limitations-on-subcontracting-1099-contractors-work-didnt-count/