It was only a matter of time. The first protest is in. And the envelope please … it’s “La La Land.” Oops, no it is actually Glock. Glock, Inc., filed an official Government Accounting Office bid protest to Solicitation Number W15QKN-15-R-0002, which we know better as the Modular Handgun System or XM17. The Army announced on Jan. 17, 2017, that a variant of the SIG Sauer P320 was the winner and headed for the next batch of testing solo. This is the more than $580 million, 10-year contract to replace the aging U.S. M9 pistols in U.S. Army inventory. Coincidentally, SIG Sauer’s ammunition partner for its MHS entrant, Winchester Ammunition, just dropped a press release on its participation.
The GAO Bid Protest Docket states that the case is due June 5, 2017. Depending on what the GAO decides, we may not know what exactly Glock protested—beyond not winning, of course. If the protest is denied, the GAO probably won’t explain why. Any aspect of the process or RFP can be challenged, including errors in submitting paperwork that had nothing to do with how the guns actually performed. Protests are pretty common, so don’t regard this as an extraordinary event. Everyone following this process knew they were coming, and there may well be more.
Additional reading:
The Keefe Report: SIG Sauer Wins U.S. Army XM17 Modular Handgun System (MHS) Contract
The Keefe Report: I Was Wrong About the XM17
The Keefe Report: XM17—As Big a Deal as the M9?
NRA Gun Gear of the Week: U.S. Army’s New Pistol
Winchester Named Ammo Supplier for the U.S. Army MHS Program
