In CGI Advantage, there are multiple ways to track protests and post award disputes. Once the Notice of Intent to Award is posted, vendors may submit a notice of protest external to CGI Advantage within the guidelines and time frame referenced in the Solicitation Terms and Conditions. Here are two possible scenarios, which can be used separately or together for tracking protests and post award disputes.
The Evaluation transaction can be used to upload attachments/documentation related to a Vendor protesting an aspect of the Solicitation process. The buyer can attach the protest notice to the Evaluation transaction and notify the appropriate parties of the protest. If an award has already been generated, the buyer may suspend the award process by changing the Award Status to Suspended on the Header of the contract. After the protest process has been completed, the ruling/resolution can be attached to the Evaluation transaction. The award process is resumed – either continuing with the award to the original vendor, changing the award to another vendor, or cancelling the Solicitation.
Post award disputes are generally recorded through the processing of Vendor Performance Evaluation transactions. Buyers provide the vendor with feedback from the performance evaluation and work with them to resolve the issues/deficiencies. All communication with the vendor is recorded in the Vendor Correspondence table. In the event the deficiencies are not addressed, the buyer may begin the contract termination process. If the vendor submits a Notice of Dispute, documentation is recorded on the Vendor Correspondence table. The dispute can also be tracked through the Protest (PRTST) page in CGI Advantage.
Protests and post award disputes can also be tracked through the Protest (PRTST) page in CGI Advantage. The Protest (PRTST) page serves as the central repository to track protest and post award disputes in CGI Advantage. The page can be accessed via Global Search or by clicking the Protests link on the Procurement Management page. This page allows you track protests by Transaction Code. If a protest or dispute is entered on this page, then the Protest Filed? check box is selected on the Procurement Management page for the selected Procurement Folder. Also, an overrideable error message is issued on the PO, MA, PR and MD Transaction Types to alert the user that the transaction has one or more outstanding protests/disputes. Refer to the “Protest and Post Award Dispute Tracking Setup” topic in this user guide for more information on this page.