Grant Thornton wins $350-million consulting contract from TSA
The Transportation Security Administration has awarded Grant Thornton’s public sector business a $350-million blanket purchasing agreement (BPA) for program analysis and strategic support services, despite protests from rival bidders Deloitte and Guidehouse.
The five-year, single-award BPA has a ceiling of $350 million, and will deliver integrated consulting and business program support services to the airport security agency. Grant Thornton will help the TSA identify and pursue technological capabilities that boost the agency’s operational effectiveness.
The consulting firm will provide office-wide strategic initiative design and support across areas including risk mitigation, R&D, technology assessment, technical reviews, and execution analysis and management.
The TSA has approximately 47,000 employees and a $7.68 billion budget, as of fiscal year 2020.
“This win is illustrative of how Grant Thornton Public Sector utilizes our global network to help bring innovative solutions and supports to mission-critical needs in government,” said Carlos Otal, national managing partner of Grant Thornton Public Sector. “We have the experience and scale to support large vehicles like this one at TSA, but also have a nimble and entrepreneurial culture that empowers our people to deliver better outcomes for our clients.”
Other bidders for the contract award – Deloitte and Guidehouse – lodged protests with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) questioning why their proposals were passed over by the TSA.
Interested firms were asked to submit a price for a sample task order as well as past performance qualifications. Grant Thornton’s price was $1.7 million, Deloitte’s was $876,000, and Guidehouse’s was $536,000.
The GAO in January ruled that the TSA was justified in selecting Grant Thornton because it presented the best value to the agency, as well as lower risk.
Grant Thornton’s public sector business is based in Arlington, VA and supports federal, state, and local government clients through a presence in more than 35 cities. It helps public sector clients address challenges in acquisition, finance, human capital, information technology, data analytics, and performance management.
