Point Blank Shows Flawed Conflict Review Before Body Armor Award

Point Blank Enterprises Inc. demonstrated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement failed to properly document its investigation into an alleged organizational conflict of interest before awarding Atlantic Diving Supply Inc. a contract for body armor.

The agency’s contracting officer was obligated by the Federal Acquisition Regulation to formally document his response to Point Blank’s “substantive” claims about Atlantic Diving’s products, but failed to do so, Judge David A. Tapp of the US Court of Federal Claims said in an opinion made public Tuesday.

ICE “left absolutely no trace” of the contracting officer’s impressions on the allegations, the court said. “Subsection 9.504 ...