Navigating Bid Protest Choices at GAO and COFC
DE Under 3: U.S. GAO Report on Military Spouse Employment Focused on Challenges of Part-Time Work
A Discussion with GAO General Counsel Edda Emmanuelli Perez
GovCon Perspectives Podcast Episode 24: Effective Use of “Open and Frank” Discussions in Bid Protests
Award Protests: Choosing the Forum
How to Assess the Likelihood of Success in Deciding Whether to Bring a Bid Protest
On November 18, the Government Accountability Office ("GAO") released its much-anticipated Bid Protest Annual Report to Congress for Fiscal Year 2024, which was submitted to Congress on November 14. GAO's annual report is...more
“What are my chances?” This is the most common question clients ask when considering whether to protest. GAO’s Annual Report to Congress shows that the “effectiveness” rate of protests is over 50 percent and continues to...more
In January 2023, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) issued an invitation for bids (IFB) for a dune and berm replenishment and renovation project along the New Jersey coast. The USACE received two sealed bids for the...more
In this episode of Wiley's Government Contracts podcast, Ryan Frazee highlights key factors in choosing between the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims (COFC) when filing bid...more
With another government fiscal year in the books, contractors may be anticipating the next season of bid protests. The Federal Circuit’s recent decision in Oak Grove Technologies v. United States offers a timely set of...more
We have actively monitored the drum beat of bid protest decisions addressing lapses in an offeror’s System for Award Management (SAM.gov or SAM) registration and their impact on an offeror’s eligibility for award. More recent...more
Beyond their immediate purpose of resolving procurement disputes, bid protest decisions of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims are valuable in two other ways. First, these rulings...more
This article is part of a monthly column that provides takeaways from recent bid protest cases. In this installment, we highlight decisions from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the U.S. Government...more
One forum to raise a protest against the award of a contract is at the agency responsible for the procurement, pursuant to the procedures set forth in Federal Acquisition Regulation (“FAR”) 33.103. The procedures require that...more
While most contractors think of the Government Accountability Office and Court of Federal Claims (or even the agency) when considering whether to challenge a government contract award, there are additional options for small...more
With just a week to go in FY24, federal agencies are rushing to spend those "use it or lose it" dollars. And while there are a number of reasons that support filing a bid protest when you're an unsuccessful offeror – this...more
On September 10, the Court of Federal Claims (COFC) issued an opinion in Zolon PCS II, LLC v. United States, holding that the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA or Agency) unreasonably issued a deviation from FAR...more
This article is part of a monthly column that provides takeaways from recent bid protest cases. This installment highlights three decisions from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Each of this month's decisions...more
This month’s Bid Protest Roundup highlights three recent protests from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. The first protest concerns whether the protester is an interested party; the second involves the adequacy of an...more
We have addressed on this blog questions relating to jurisdiction at the GAO, Court of Federal Claims (CFC), and district courts to hear suits relating to awards using the government’s Other Transaction (OT) authority....more
A recent decision, Independent Rough Terrain Center, LLC v. United States (“IRTC”),[1] confirms the U.S. Court of Federal Claims has jurisdiction over bid protests related to follow-on production contracts arising out of...more
Late last year, the Court of Federal Claims (“COFC”) contradicted long-standing Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) precedent on the acceptability of photocopied signatures on bid bonds finding that the Government’s...more
Sparksoft Corporation - B-422440;.2 - • The awardee’s Systems Security Officer (“SSO”) was awarded a positive finding for holding a certified information systems security professional (“CISSP”) certification....more
The first decision, Kearney & Co. v. U.S., explores the ability of contractors to use labor mapping to bridge differences between an agency's stated needs and a contractor's offerings under its U.S. General Services...more
The Federal Government is committed to developing its relationship with small and disadvantaged businesses through set-aside contracts that incentivize and protect these companies from competing with large, established...more
Bid protests of other transaction agreements, also known as “OTs” or “OTAs,” are a common topic for this blog. These federal agreements differ from your everyday procurement contracts in that they are not subject to the...more
7(a) Loan Approval for Borrowers with Unresolved COVID-19 Pandemic Loan Compliance Issues: On May 21, SBA’s OIG issued an inspection report assessing SBA’s 7(a) loan approval process for borrowers with unresolved pandemic...more
GAO sustains protest because the agency failed to respond to a protest allegation and did not recognize discriminators during the evaluation. A recent GAO decision provides a rare example of GAO sustaining a protest when...more
ITility, LLC - B-421871.3 - The protester argued that the Department of Homeland Security had unreasonably assessed the awardee a “positive” based on an incorrect understanding of what the awardee had proposed....more
On April 1, 2024, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) sustained a bid protest by TLS Joint Venture, LLC because the awardee’s registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) lapsed before the government awarded...more