Army Upheld in Its Selection of Manufacturer for New Bayonet

The General Accounting Office has upheld the U.S. Army’s selection of an Oceanside bayonet manufacturer to fill a $15.6-million contract over the protests of a Rhode Island firm that lost out in the bid competition.

In a 15-page decision, the GAO ruled there was no evidence that the Army acted improperly in awarding the three-year contract to Phrobis III Ltd. to supply 315,600 M-9 multipurpose bayonets at $49.56 apiece.

Phrobis won the contract last October over five competitors, including the Imperial Knife division of Imperial Schrade Corp. of Providence, whose losing bid was $19.75 per weapon. Imperial Schrade’s lower bid was the basis of its protest, also filed last October.

While agreeing that Imperial Schrade’s bid was “substantially less” than that of Phrobis, the GAO report found that the Army correctly passed over Imperial Schrade’s entry because of “safety defects” that rendered it “unsafe for rigorous use in the field.”

“We believe that the Army was not required to buy an unsafe bayonet system at any price,” the GAO report said.

The GAO also dismissed Imperial Schrade’s allegation that Phrobis consultant David Baskett, a retired Army major, had knowledge of the bayonet project before his retirement and that he unfairly helped Phrobis prepare its bid.

Phrobis President Mickey Finn said Tuesday that Imperial Schrade’s challenge was “sour grapes.”

“That’s my opinion, that’s the Army’s opinion and that’s the GAO’s opinion,” Finn said.

Founded in 1983, Phrobis has 14 employees. The company has already begun deliveries on the bayonet contract, the largest in its history.