Federal Government Information Technology

GAO Denies Equifax Bid Protest on IRS Contract

Nextgov: The Government Accountability Office Monday denied a bid protest embattled consumer credit reporting company Equifax filed with the IRS in July after it lost a taxpayer identification and verification services contract to Experian Information Solutions.

GAO’s decision allows the IRS to begin in earnest working with Experian on a one-year contract worth up to $795,000.

Last week, the IRS told lawmakers the pending protest was the reason it awarded Equifax a $7 million sole-source contract on Sept. 29 to continue providing critical services. The IRS quickly suspended the contract after lawmakers questioned why the agency would award such an important contract to a company that exposed the records of 145 million Americans in the fall.

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