Northrop Grumman will build the military’s next bomber after the government on Tuesday denied a protest filed last year by competitors.
The Air Force awarded the contract for the long range strike-bomber to Northrop Grumman late last year, but the team of Boeing and Lockheed Martin protested the award, saying that the decision making was flawed and did not take into account the expertise and value brought by the team.
Many expected the award to be protested because of the high value of the contract, estimated to be about $80 billion for 80 to 100 of the planes, but analysts said they didn’t expect the protest to be substantiated.
“GAO reviewed the challenges to the selection decision raised by Boeing and has found no basis to sustain or uphold the protest. In denying Boeing’s protest, GAO concluded that the technical evaluation, and the evaluation of costs, was reasonable, consistent with the terms of the solicitation, and in accordance with procurement laws and regulations,” Ralph White, managing associate general counsel for procurement law at the Government Accountability Office, said in a statement.
Further details were not available as much of the bomber contract is classified.
