On February 26, 2025, the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals issued a decision allowing the government to reduce a contract by $1.1M due to a contractor’s failure to comply with the mandate to use United States-flag...more
The ASBCA restrictively interpreted standard release language in a government modification. In the Sauer Construction case, ambiguous release language couldn't bar a remediation claim, highlighting the need for clear...more
Government contractors working for the Department of Education (DE), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and other agencies like the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Consumer Financial...more
On December 23, 2024, President Biden signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. The annual bill authorizes spending for the Department of Defense (DOD) while setting other...more
In H&L Contracting, LLC, ASBCA Nol. 63695 (November 21, 2024), the contractor sought to recover for cost overruns it incurred in connection with a dredging contract. The contractor had to utilize an ocean-going dredge to...more
The Civilian Board of Contract Appeals (CBCA) recently published its annual report, providing key statistics on cases filed at and adjudicated by the CBCA in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024. Of note, the CBCA found in favor of the...more
The Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals’ 2024 annual report reveals—yet again—the lowest number of docketed appeals in 40 years. Where have the contractor appeals gone? Contractors filed fewer appeals with the Board...more
On October 2, 2024, the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals released a copy of their opinion in Chugach Fed. Sols., Inc., ASBCA No. 62712, 2024 WL 4542405 (Oct. 2, 2024). In this case, the board found entitlement for an...more
Most government contracts include a Changes clause (notably, FAR 52.243-1), which grants the Government the right to order changes to the scope of the contractor’s work. That clause also entitles the contractor to an...more
On May 9, 2024, the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals ("ASBCA" or "Board") allowed a contractor to recover for a "constructive" value engineering change proposal ("VECP"). In Appeal of Herman JCG Co. JV, ASBCA No....more
When the U.S. Government licenses commercial software, it generally does so under the same terms as any other commercial software licensee, unless the terms of that license are inconsistent with federal law or do not...more
On Monday, June 24, 2024, a federal judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas (the Court) instituted a nationwide injunction on the enforcement of portions of the US Department of Labor’s (DOL) 2023...more
When is it appropriate to consider “extrinsic evidence” of the parties’ intent when interpreting a contractor’s release of claims? A new decision out of the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (“ASBCA”), Sonabend Company...more
In the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (ASBCA) appeal of McCarthy HITT – Next NGA West JV, ASBCA No. 63571, 2023 WL 9179193 (Dec. 20, 2023), a contractor brought suit for a collection of COVID-19-related claims on...more
Under its contract with the Air Force, Aviation Training and Consulting LLC ("ATC") "operates, maintains, supports, and upgrades the Air Force's training systems (or trainers) for B-52 bombers." As did many responsible...more
WHAT: In Aviation Training Consulting, LLC, the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (ASBCA) held that it had jurisdiction to hear the contractor’s claim for increased costs to keep its workforce in a ready state during...more
On December 20, 2023, the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (the Board) denied the government’s motion to dismiss pandemic-related claims. In doing so, the Board rejected the government’s arguments alleging that the...more
In a significant ruling, the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals "(Board)" denied a government motion to dismiss claims from McCarthy HITT - Next NGA West JV, a joint venture under contract with the US Army Corps of...more
In Granite Construction Company, ASBCA No. 62281 (November 1, 2023), the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals ("Board") addressed the issue of what constitutes a reasonable period of time to suspend work under the...more
A recent decision in SBA Contracting, LLC, ASBCA No. 63320 (Oct. 3, 2023) provides an important reminder for government contractors to carefully consider the volatility of market conditions before submitting firm-fixed price...more
The Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals’ 2023 annual report reveals the lowest number of docketed appeals in 40 years, while at the same time the Board deals with the largest number of motions for summary judgment in...more
Federal contractors are winning a safeguard against the government’s practice of moving to dismiss cases brought under the Contract Disputes Act (CDA) for lack of jurisdiction in the late stages of litigation. Recent...more
In Appeal of Derian, Inc., ASBCA No. 62957 (August 25, 2023), the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals provided detailed guidance on how to price a deductive change order and what evidence should be utilized to establish...more
Like the COVID-19 virus, COVID-related contract claims have not gone away. In “Contracting in the Fog of War: Recovering Costs Caused by an Epidemic,” we reported on Pernix Serka Joint Venture v. Department of State, CBCA...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit broke with earlier precedent and held that the sum certain requirement imposed on contractors is not jurisdictional and therefore cannot be grounds for dismissal late in the...more