Coventry Loses Protest of Optum’s $550 Million Pharmacy Contract

The U.S. Department of Labor properly awarded Optum Workers’ Compensation Services of Florida a $550 million contract for pharmacy benefits management services despite a protest from initial awardee Coventry Healthcare Workers’ Compensation Inc., the GAO said in a decision released Tuesday.

Coventry didn’t show that the department’s conducted a flawed technical evaluation that prevented it from finding that Coventry’s bid was less expensive and provided better value, the Government Accountability Office said.

There is nothing in the challenged solicitation provision suggesting the department would monetize the value of proposed services as part of the technical evaluation, the GAO said.

The ...