Navigating Bid Protest Choices at GAO and COFC
In KL3, LLC v. United States, U.S. Court of Federal Claims, No. 24-2028 (June 2, 2025, reissued June 12, 2025), KL3 challenged the Department of Defense’s award of two sole-source contracts under the SBA’s 8(a) program,...more
Much has been written during recent years regarding the increasing volume of government acquisitions and spending effected under Other Transaction (OT) authority. These transactions are generally exempt from the requirements...more
In Marathon Targets, Inc. v. United States, U.S. Court of Federal Claims, No. 25-121 (March 13, 2025, reissued March 24, 2025), Marathon Targets sought to block a U.S. Marine Corps contract awarded to MVP Robotics for...more
In celebration of the release of the 6th Edition of the Government Contracts Compliance Handbook, we are sharing six essential tips for successfully navigating the contract claims process under federal procurement...more
On February 24, Judge Armando Bonilla of the Court of Federal Claims (COFC) declined to dismiss a challenge to a $648 million award under a Missile Defense Agency (MDA) development deal, finding that the court had...more
On Monday, February 24, 2025, the Court of Federal Claims (“COFC”) released the public version of a February 13 decision declining to dismiss Raytheon Company’s protest of a $648.5 million award under the Missile Defense...more
The 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) includes two significant changes to DoD bid protests that are generally not favorable to contractors. (Both changes appear in Section 885 of the NDAA and can be viewed at...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 December 21, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) dismissed a protest by ELS, an unsuccessful bidder on a Department of Defense (DOD) task order opportunity, concluding that it did not have jurisdiction to consider...more
This month’s Bid Protest Roundup include decisions regarding supplementation of the record and whether an agency may convert a sealed bid opportunity into a negotiated procurement due to lack of funds, as well as a case in...more
The U.S. Court of Federal Claims issues another decision highlighting a growing divergence in case law between the Court and the Government Accountability Office. COFC rejects GAO precedent for determining whether...more
While most federal procurements are conducted using the onerous regulations set forth in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and agency supplements, agencies are increasingly relying on the more flexible, but...more
In a bid protest, the record of the actions that the contracting agency took during the procurement is of paramount importance. Regardless of whether a protester files its challenge with the Government Accountability Office...more
This installment of our monthly Law360 bid protest spotlight considers: (1) a company’s successful challenge to an agency’s decision to take corrective action and reopen a competition the company had already won; (2) a...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit confirms that a protester seeking to avail itself of the statutory “automatic stay” of performance in connection with a GAO bid protest must file that protest within five days...more
Client Alert: SBA to Enact Significant Changes to Small Business Regulations Before 2020: Everything You Need to Know - On November 29, 2019, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a final rule that will...more
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS LAW - Late Is Late—Even on the GSA Schedule - In a recent blog, we discussed the “late is late” rule in government contracting which has been the cause of many protests and much consternation...more
Several of the “Section 809” Panel’s recommendations would change the procurement landscape by significantly curtailing the bid protest process and limiting judicial review of procurement decisions. The Section 809 Panel...more
On October 24, the Government Contracts team at Alston & Bird hosted its inaugural briefing in Washington, D.C. discussing the latest developments and industry updates in the government contracts space. Presenters included...more
The FY 2019 NDAA requires DoD study multiple protest filings, and develop a plan for an expedited protest process for small contracts. Congress is concerned about the delays caused by bid protests that have been filed at...more
A Congressionally mandated research study demonstrates that bid protests filed against Department of Defense (DoD) procurements do not unduly delay these acquisitions and are not frivolous. More than 99.7% of DoD contracts...more
On December 8, 2016, the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2017 previously passed by the House, and the legislation is pending President Obama’s signature. Once signed, Section 835 of the NDAA...more
In recent years, the U.S. government has exercised enhanced scrutiny over federal contractors through, among other things, the increased use of its suspension and debarment remedies – fueled in part by reports of contractor...more