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Bid Protests

GAO Protest Lawyers, COFC & SBA Bid Protest Attorneys

Bid protest attorneys fighting your rights in Washington, DC and nationwide. 

Free initial consultation. Call toll free 1-866-601-5518.

Filing a bid protest requires careful thought and decision-making in a short period of time. Whether you are in Washington, DC or another state, you must consider the following.

  • The legal strength of your case
  • What is the best forum to file a bid protest?
  • The short deadlines in which you must file
  • How high are the stakes?
  • Whether you should engage the services of a government contracts lawyer
  • Whether as the successful awardee you should intervene

 

Assessing whether to file a bid protest requires you to carefully analyze the root cause. If you claim that the agency gave you an improper evaluation on past performance, then you must also be prepared to discuss viable reasons for the  allegation. Simply stating the result will get your protest thrown out as a mere disagreement with the source selection authority. These types of GAO protests are common reasons why contractors fail. Watson & Associates, LLC has developed a strong relationship with government contractors seeking to file a bid protest as a result of agencies running afoul of the protest regulations. Our team of bid protest lawyers helps you t0 assess the specific facts of your case to determine whether the agency has violated procurement law and whether there is a chance at prevailing. See overview of GAO bid protest process.

 

As a potential or successful bidder, you have spent a substantial amount of time and resources with bid preparation. Now you know that something appears to be wrong. You simply need help assessing the legal merits.  You can increase the substance of your bid protest claims by quickly taking advantage of a debriefing. In fact, filing a protest without a debriefing can be disastrous if you fail to acquire more information from the government. As attorneys, we frequently handle common problems with source selections and seek out the specific information needed increase your chances of prevailing. Getting more substance is critical to a solid bid protest.

 

Bid Protest Services

Watson & Associates’ procurement team help clients with a wide array of protest disputes at  either the GAO, Agency or Court of Federal Claims bid protest (COFC) levels, our attorneys can help with:

  • Case analysis
  • Intervention as a bid protest intervenor
  • Non-responsive bids
  • Guidance with procedure
  • Motions
  • Pre-award protest (improper NAICS Code and overly restrictive)
  • The government’s unequal treatment of bidders
  • Bid mistakes
  • The government’s failure to conduct meaningful discussions
  • Best value procurements, including cost/technical trade-offs
  • Cost and/or price realism analyses
  • Past performance evaluations
  • Organizational and/or personal conflicts of interest
  • Restrictive specifications
  • Deviations from the announced evaluation criteria
  • Unbalanced bidding
  • Cardinal changes
  • Failure to consider information submitted in your bid proposal
  • Improper technical evaluations
  • Unsupported trade-off decisions
  • Failure to properly apply evaluation criteria set forth in the solicitation
  • Failure to conduct meaningful discussions
  • Conflict of interest
  • Unduly restrictive solicitations
  • Improper best value determinations
  • Other bid protest issues

 

See some of our relevant and recent government contract cases. Call us for a free initial consultation at 1-866-601-5518.

  • Free initial consultations
  • Flat rate options available
  • Competitive pricing
  • Nationwide representation
  • Prompt turnaround
  • Attorneys that can get access to agency source selection decisions
  • Aggressive intervention and defense for bid protest intervenors
  • Filing of protest documents that contain legal authority

 

Avoid Common and Costly Mistakes

The last thing you want to do is to get caught in the land mines lurking in the process. Although you do not have to hire a bid protest lawyer, there are common mistakes that can be costly to the uninformed GAOgovernment contractor. For example, your protest document must be based upon specific facts and not mere disagreement with the agency’s decision. This will almost certainly get the bid protest dismissed. Filing a bid protest at GAO, SBA, Court of Federal Claims or in any other forum must stem from articulate facts that show that the agency has not complied with the solicitation requirements or has broken the law. The agency always takes advantage of this mistake by immediately filing for a dismissal.  In any bid protest, the stakes are high and you simply want to avoid common land mines that await you. See our FAQs for additional information. Other costly mistakes include:

  • Not requesting a debriefing that solidifies the basis for a GAO protest
  • Not knowing the proper forum in which to file
  • Improper calculation of the filing deadline, in addition to gauging when you knew, or should have known about the basis for the protest
  • Determine the right forum to file
  • Hiring corporate counsel that is not intimately familiar with government contracting

 

Overview of GAO Bid Protests

Having a thorough understanding of the litigation process can help you to make quick decisions. Filing a bid protest at GAO begins with the filing of a written protest by the contractor or its lawyer. Unless the protest is dismissed because it is procedurally or substantively defective (e.g., the protest is untimely or the protest fails to clearly state legally sufficient grounds of protest), the contracting agency is required to file with GAO an agency report responding to the protest and to provide a copy of that report to the protester. The protester then has an opportunity to file written comments on the report. Other parties may be permitted to intervene, which means that they will also receive a copy of the report and will be allowed to file written comments on the report.

After the record is complete, GAO will consider the facts and legal issues raised and will issue a decision, a copy of which will be sent to all parties participating in the protest. GAO may sustain the protest (that is, find that the agency violated a procurement statute or regulation and that the violation prejudiced the protester), in which case GAO will recommend appropriate corrective action. Alternatively, GAO may deny the protest or may dismiss the protest without reviewing the matter. GAO will issue its decision not later than 100 days from the date the protest was filed. The exact date on which GAO issues the decision depends on the urgency of the procurement, the complexity of the factual and legal issues raised in the protest, and GAO’s work load.

 

Who May File a GAO Protest?

Not all contractors amy be able to file a protest although there might be something terribly wrond with the award. A GAO protest must be filed by an “interested party,” which means an actual or prospective bidder or offeror with a direct economic interest in the procurement. 4 C.F.R. § 21.0(a). In challenges of the evaluation of proposals and the award of contracts, this generally means an offeror that would potentially be in line for award if the bid protest were sustained. Your protest lawyer should always ensure that you are an “interested party” before filing a protest. 

 

When to Protest?

One of the key components of your case is to understand the short deadlines associated with bid protest law. GAO Protests alleging improprieties in a solicitation must be filed prior to bid opening or the time set for receipt of initial proposals if the improprieties were apparent prior to that time. 4 C.F.R. § 21.2(a)(1). A solicitation defect that was not apparent before that time must be protested not later than 10 days after the defect became apparent. In negotiated procurements, if an alleged impropriety did not exist in the initial solicitation but was later incorporated into the solicitation by an amendment, a protest based on that impropriety must be filed before the next closing time established for submitting proposals.  

In all other cases, protests must be filed not later than 10 days after the protester knew or should have known the basis of protest (whichever is earlier), with the exception of protests challenging a procurement conducted on the basis of competitive proposals under which a debriefing is “requested and, when requested, is required” (that is, a statutorily required debriefing). In these cases, with respect to any protest basis which was known or should have been known before the statutorily required debriefing, the protester must not file its initial protest before the debriefing date offered to the protester, but must file its initial protest not later than 10 days after the date on which the debriefing was held. 4 C.F.R. § 21.2(a)(2).

 

Protective Orders

Having your attorney admitted into a protective order can significantly increase the leverage of your protest because, he or she can have amore in-depth view of what the agency has done. These are privileges that a contractor may not necessarily have. If the record in a protest contains “protected” information, that is, a company’s proprietary or confidential data or the agency’s source-selection-sensitive information, that information cannot be made public. In order to allow limited access to protected information relevant to a protest, GAO may issue a protective order. 4 C.F.R. § 21.4. The protective order strictly controls who has access to protected material and how that material is labeled, distributed, stored, and disposed of at the conclusion of the protest. A protective order package, which includes the protective order and the application(s) for access to material under a protective order, generally will be issued soon after a protest is filed, but in appropriate cases, may be issued simultaneously with the acknowledgment notice.

 

Only individuals who apply to GAO, and whose applications are approved by GAO, will be permitted access to protected information. Those individuals must be attorneys or consultants retained by attorneys; the attorneys may be outside counsel or in-house counsel. The applicants need to show that they are not involved in competitive decisionmaking for any company that could gain a competitive advantage from access to protected information and that there will be no significant risk of inadvertent disclosure of such information. 4 C.F.R. § 21.4(c). GAO has issued a number of decisions which address matters related to the admission of applicants under a protective order. Individuals permitted access to protected information are not allowed to disclose that information to others. This means, for example, that a protester’s attorney permitted access to protected information under a protective order is prohibited from revealing such information to the client. GAO may impose sanctions on any individual who violates the terms of a protective order. 4 C.F.R. § 21.4(d).

 

Bid Protest Decisions

Once the record is complete, GAO will consider the protest and decide the case through a written decision issued by the Comptroller General. At the latest, the decision will be issued 100 days after the protest is filed, unless GAO decides the case under the 65-day express option schedule. 4 C.F.R. § 21.9(a), (b). If a protester has filed a timely supplemental or a timely amended protest, GAO will endeavor to resolve the supplemental/amended protest within the 100-day time frame for a decision on the initial protest. 4 C.F.R. § 21.9(c). If that is not feasible, GAO may consider using the express option schedule or other accelerated schedule for the resolution of the supplemental/amended protest. Id.; 4 C.F.R. § 21.10(e). 

 

Other Choices for filing a bid protest

You have a choice of either challenging or defending procurement procedures or contract awards in bid protests before contracting agencies, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the U.S. Court of Federal Claims (COFC) protests and Small Business Administration and OHA for Size Standard protests.  Deciding the proper forum means having an understanding of which one tends to give better results. Depending on the reason for the protest, it is not always apparent. For small business size determinations, there is no choice but to file at the SBA level.  Contractors must always keep in mind that the initial protest is subject to legal standards of sufficiency. Therefore, having the proper legal assistance is a significant part of planning.

 

How Should You Approach Filing a Bid Protest?

Although, you may be the disappointed bidder, the key to filing a GAO protest, or any other, is to get a legal analysis as to whether you have a case. One of the first things you should do is to immediately request a debriefing within three days.  Asking the proper questions can put you in a better position. Time is of the essence and you simply can not wait to request a debriefing.  Make the request immediately after notification. The merit of your protest must be based up specific facts and circumstances that hold legal merit. Bid protest rules are very specific and you must be able to withstand a comeback from the agency. Other considerations might be to conduct internal discussions as to whether filing a protest might have any impact on current relationships with a particular agency.

  • Request a debriefing within three days.
  • Sometimes, filing is not always the best option.
  • You may give up the right to an automatic stay if a your bid protest is not filed within three days.

Capturing additional business revenues, or defending the recent award is paramount.  Every contractor seeks to increase their bottom line by winning government contracts. If you happen to be the successful bidder, you definitely want to intervene and protect the award. Bid protest law allows you to exercise this right. Never make the mistake of assuming that the agency will protect you. As your legal advisor, we provide sound insight regarding various approaches for success, including structuring effective protest time-lines, determining where a protest should be filed to maximize the chances for success, and formulating strategies for how best to defend against a competitor’s protest (intervene). Whether you are filing a bid protest to GAO or Court of Federal Claims, Watson & Associates, LLC will look out for your best interests by intervening and then digging into the agency’s records to authenticate the rational for your award.

Protest to GAO or Court of Federal Claims?

As an aggrieved business, you can file a bid protest to the agency, GAO or Court of Federal Claims (“COFC”). GAO serves to report to Congress the productivity of the federal procurement system. Statistics show that contractors have a 19-24 % chance of prevailing in GAO protests.  Click here to see video on GAO responsibility. Another option for protesting an award decision is exercising your right to take a bid protest to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims This can be done even for a protest that has been fully adjudicated on the merits in another forum. 28 U.S.C. § 1491(b)(1) (2008). Recently, COFC bid protest decisions show that there is a strong balance between the contractor and the agency.  In 2012, COFC has so far ruled in favor of contractors in a fair amount of cases. The cost to file a bid protest in the Court of Federal Claims is greater than at the GAO level but the chances of success appear to be higher.

  • COFC reviews your protest from the beginning
  • COFC does not have to adhere to a previous GAO decision
  • COFC decisions are binding on GAO bid protest decisions
  • There is not 10-day time to file a bid protest with COFC
  • Costs can be more expensive at COFC
  • COFC judges are presumed to be non-biased

 

The Court of Federal Claims will consider a bid protest that has been previously denied by either thecofc Agency or GAO. There are several legitimate and respectable reasons to take a protest to the Court of Federal Claims, which we cannot go into here. Probably the best known reason is that there are no timeliness requirements for a post-award bid protest at the COFC, whereas GAO has a strict 10-day requirement to file a protest ground. But, taking a previously denied bid protest to the Court of Federal Claims is often considered an escalation of the battle. At the COFC, you are now in “federal court” against your customer, whereas a GAO protest or an Agency protest is more like an alternative dispute resolution or administrative proceeding. At the COFC, the Government must be represented solely by lawyers from U.S. Department of Justice, so the Government Customer and Agency counsel must now work through a new set of non-Agency lawyers who are not familiar with the Agency’s procedures or its procurement actions. Call our lawyers if you are contemplating filing a bid protest at the COFC. Call toll free 1-866-601-5518.

 

Court of Federal Claims (COFC) protests can be binding on GAO and the agency. Typically this option is used when the contracting agency overrides the automatic stay put in place during the GAO process, or if GAO or agency-level deadlines have passed. This process generally is the most expensive, although the decisions are binding upon GAO and the agency. When stakes are high, contractors may want to seriously consider filing a COFC bid protest. Some contractors and law firms believe that this court provides better results than GAO. However, again, this is a more expensive route to take. Contractors actually stand a chance of winning bid protests. See recent decision that will impact how agencies handle source selections.

 

See how courts are ruling:

Recent Court of Federal Claims Decisions for 2012

HP Enterprise Services, LLC v. United States, No. 11-888 C (Apr. 5, 2012) (successful post-award protest; agency awarded to other than lowest priced offeror on the basis of unstated evaluation criterion used to disqualify protester’s proposal; protester’s interpretation of latent solicitation ambiguity was reasonable).

 

The Electronic On-Ramp, Inc. v. United States, No. 12-22 C (Apr. 2, 2012) (successful pre-award protest against Government’s rejection of proposal as late despite the fact that electronic copy had been delivered on time and the only problem with delivery of the hard copy was the Government’s delay after the plaintiff’s courier made it to the security checkpoint on time).

 

Recent GAO Bid Protest Decisions 2012

Sea Box, Inc., B-405711.2 (Mar. 19, 2012) (failure of quotation to include 90-day acceptance period stated in solicitation did not render it unacceptable because quotations are not offers; awardee’s failure to comply with RFQ’s requirements to submit technical information concerning its quotation meant record did not support agency’s decision quotation was acceptable).

 

ERIE Strayer Co., B-406131 (Feb. 21, 2012) (unequal discussions; lack of meaningful discussions).

Our approach to bid protest litigation

In any bid protest, your objectives are critical. As your personal representative, we will discuss these issues up front so that our path aligns with those objectives. Watson & Associates’ bid-protest team develops a systematic but aggressive approach to bid protest practices, including:

  • Meticulously analyzing your bid proposal for soundness and merit. To evaluate your case, we compare your bid proposal to the RFP award criteria. This method enables our attorneys to identify missed potential legal grounds on which to file contract protests.
  • Carefully preparing your bid protest package so it meets procedural guidelines.
  • Preparing your bid protest in time. We respect government deadlines and regulations—they are critical and are rarely extended.
  • Determining the correct forum. You have a choice of tribunals or judicial forums with which to file your complaint, depending on the facts of your case. The various forums are the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Court of Federal Claims, the agency, or the SBA.
  • Filing credible motions on your behalf. This can include discovery motions and/or meeting other government regulation requirements.
  • Providing aggressive bid protest defense. If you are the successful bidder, our lawyers will intervene on your behalf and vigorously defend your rights.
  • Staying current with the latest bid protest decisions. This will minimize your vulnerability to being blindsided by a member of the opposition who may cite a recent ruling denying your type of protest or otherwise weakening your case.
  • Preserving legal arguments for appeal. Failure to preserve legal arguments for appeal can be a land mine awaiting contractors who file protests without the help of a lawyer. This is important for contractors thinking about representing themselves.

 

Watson & Associates’ Government Contracts Practice is regularly involved at various levels for contractor bid protest matters before agencies, the GAO and the COFC and, as a result, is a silent force in bid protest litigation involving complex matters that often impact large and small businesses.

 

Preserve your legal rights early for appeal. Even at the proposal submission stage, our insight and counsel offers protective measures in anticipation of a bid protest. Clients trust our judgment and our lawyers often counsel clients on strategies to identify, avoid, neutralize or mitigate potential conflicts.

 

Increase your chances by using experience from executives that have worked on the other side. As former source selection officials and government contracting executives, we help large DOD contractors to plan strategize and execute their bid protest efforts in a way that preserves agency relationships.  Having worked for DOD contracting agencies, we are in a position to strategically impact the government’s mistakes in your favor.  In a bid protest, we can better evaluate the agency’s rationale when we enter into a protective order. We understand that there are often deficiencies between the source selection authority’s written justifications and what bid protest law requires. This is the core and essence of any protest.  Sometimes, contractors may not understand how to effectively balance the substantial latitude of the agency and effectively applying the law to show mistakes.  This is where Watson & Associates’ lawyers  can be just as effective as Washington DC bid protest law firms.

 

Experienced bid protest lawyers experienced with federal small business programs. Small businesses struggle with the complex rules and GAO bid protest regulations. Smaller contractors do not always understand the complex bid protest regulations and therefore are at a disadvantage. Our bid protest lawyers understand the unique rules for SDVOSB, WOSB, HUBZone, Affiliation problems and limitation on subcontracting requirements. In addition to the tradition bid protest problems, an understanding of small business contracting can put protestors in a stronger position.  Click here to read our GAO FAQs.

 

Structure your bid protest in a way that can avoid dismissal. In a bid protest, you must be able to articulate specific factual and legal allegations to prevent your case from being dismissed. As a government contractor, you must also structure your appeal in a way that focuses on the agency’s questionable actions and not mere disagreement. Given these strict rules, having one of our bid protest lawyers on your team will improve the strength and credibility of your case.

Government agencies make mistakes all the time. Actually working with them and knowing how they think allow our bid protest attorneys to stay above the bar and aggressively fight for your rights. We have a wealth of experience both in challenging the propriety of awards (should our client be an unsuccessful bidder) and in assisting the government buyer in defending the award (if our client is the awardee—intervention).

Many areas of federal procurement law might apply to your protest 

Resolving your problem or concern in a bid protest can include several laws or even different protest forums apart from GAO. For example, when you contract with government agencies, several regulations and statues may simultaneously apply to your specific case if you file a dispute. For example, HUBZone bidders filing pricing protests to GAO face special rules if there is full and open competition. Also a particular procurement may violate the Competition in Contracting Act. Unique rules also apply to teaming agreements, SBA 8a certification, and subcontracting matters when contractors file SBA size-status protests. Generalized or speculative allegations will get your case thrown out. Therefore, any attorney representing you before government agencies must possess intimate knowledge of many government regulations. This is where Watson can bring value to your case.

 

Solving your problem in a bid protest also means knowing how the agency will try to attack or defend its position.  

Although federal procurement law offers you rights to challenge agency awards, the appeal process is tricky and complex. Regulations are somewhat brutal for the ill-advised contractor. For example, agencies will frequently immediately attempt to dismiss your bid protest at the beginning stages. A common tactic is to convert your arguments into theory that warrants dismissal.  Watson & Associates LLC’s GAO bid protest practice offers litigation and appeals services that highlight our ability to guide you away from common tricks or practices which federal procuring agencies use.  Our law firm has been a respected force nationwide, offering clients wide-ranging experience ranging from bid protest review, defense / intervention large corporations and small businesses seeking to protect their rights. You have access to more than just traditional attorneys. Instead, we have members that have actually worked for federal contracting agencies and understand the mistakes that source selection authorities make during the award stage. Contact us for immediate representation. Call for free consultation at 1-866-601-5518.

 

Should you file a bid protest or not? 

Your business judgment as to whether or not to file a bid protest is crucial. Companies contesting contract awards need expert guidance because contracting agencies often make mistakes. The necessary actions require thorough review of the merits of your case, legal review for supporting case law, and a detailed bid protest letter filed with GAO. Businesses have a crucial decision to make first in the decision to file or not file a protest—you must make informed judgment decisions as to future agency relationships versus the strength and merits of your case. We help you to make the tough decisions based upon our informed input. A successful protest requires meticulous reasoning, supporting legal authority, and the ability to meet short deadlines. Our attorneys understand the risks of forfeiting contracts and the balance of appealing the request for proposal award.

 

Get guidance on agency debriefings – very important

Always request a debriefing. Accomplish this on the same day that you know about the award results – do NOT wait. Keep proof of your written request. Requesting a debriefing must be accomplished immediately after learning of the adverse action or notice of the award. Our firm can advise you on how to prepare for debriefings and important issues to raise.

If you find out that you are an unsuccessful bidder (or you were the awardee), you must understand your rights in the bid protest process. This starts at the debriefing stage. There are a myriad of rules and regulations that operate under short deadlines. Your first order of business is to determine if the government agency violated the law. The agency never openly admits that it has violated procurement law. It is up to you to prove it.

 

What types of bid protests exist? 

Bid protests can be broken down into two categories: pre-award and post-award. Pre-award protests must be filed before the proposals are received by the agency, though it is recommended that a proposal still be submitted to preserve a contractor’s standing in the matter for any future contentions. Following the filing of a protest of this kind, the government agency is prevented from awarding the contract until the matter is resolved, with few exceptions.

 

Some common reasons for filing such a protest are:

  • Solicitation is unduly restrictive and overstates agency needs
  • Requirements and terms are ambiguous
  • Decision for full and open competition versus small business set-aside
  • Solicitation on its face violate procurement law
  • Requirements unnecessarily favor one offeror over others
  • Agency failure to follow solicitation criteria
  • Inappropriate discussions
  • Arbitrary technical/price/past-performance evaluations
  • Conflict of interest

 

When should you file your bid protests?  

This is where many problems occur. Don’t get caught up in these landmines. Post-award GAO protests must be filed within ten days of either the receipt of award notification (or when you knew of or should have known the reason) or the debriefing date. Generally, after a protest is filed, the government agency must immediately suspend contract performance. Size determination protests to the SBA have different standards. To avoid being late, always get an attorney involved as soon as an issue arises.

 

This type of litigation is unique and sometimes tricky. Given the wide discretion of the agency plus the fact that contractors can represent themselves, there is an obvious reason why contractors often fail at filing bid protests—the odds are already against you. Failing to understand case law is a serious handicap; failing to understand the process and deadlines is just as dangerous.

Intervention and defense help 

 

Intervenors (Successful Bidder)

Immediately after receiving notice of the protest from GAO, the contracting agency must give notice of the protest to the contractor if an award has been made or, if no award has been made, the agency must notify all bidders or offerors which have a reasonable chance of receiving an award. GAO may permit other firms to participate in the protest as “intervenors.” 4 C.F.R. § 21.0(b). If the award has been made, GAO permits only the awardee to intervene. If the award has not been made, firms wishing to intervene should so advise GAO and the other parties, and then contact GAO to learn whether they will be permitted to intervene. The notice of intervention can be a brief letter which includes the name, address, and telephone and fax numbers of the intervenor or its representative, if any, and which advises GAO and all other parties of the intervenor’s status.

 

In a bid protest, the agency has no legal obligation to protect your rights. As the successful bidder you should seek legal help. Although the bid protest is actually filed against the agency, it is actually your company that faces the risk of forfeiting the contract. The law allows your attorney to intervene or defend your position. There is an argument to be made that if you simply wait for the government’s outcome, you could possibly waive your rights to an appeal. Lastly, you should intervene as quickly as possible in a bid protest when you know about the actual filing.

 

Challenging an unsuccessful bid decision 

GAO, along with other forums, provide a forum for bidders and offerors seeking federal government contracts that believe contracts have been, or are about to be, awarded in violation of the laws and regulations that govern contracting with the federal government. In order to stand a chance of a successful resolution we help you to:

  • Articulate relevant facts and a legal basis for the protest: Plainly, this is the first source of attack from the agency. You simply cannot frame your protest as though it’s a mere disagreement.
  • Ensure that you don’t raise an issue too late: Another source of initial attack from the agency.
  • Focusing on a particular procurement statute is critical: merely stating that an award decision was not wise or not pointing to particular legal authority in a bid protest almost guarantees a dismissal.

 

The government contract protest attorneys at Watson & Associates represent bidders and DOD contractors throughout the United States to assess and protect their rights when the government has not complied with the procurement statutes. Our bid protest lawyers represent contractors by filing a bid protest to the agency, or in other unique circumstances, filing an SBA Size Standard protest (Ostensible Subcontractor) to the Small Business Administration. We are familiar with all regulations governing the federal procurement and bidding process. Our goal will be to help you to prepare a legally sound bid protest package supported by legal authority and evidence.

 

Protect your bid protest appeal rights 

Depending upon where your initial protest was filed, you have options when there is an adverse decision. For example, if you file a proper agency protest, you may still appeal the decision to the GAO level. In other situations, when GAO makes a final decision, you might be able to still file a new bid protest at the Court of Federal Claims level. If you have reason to believe that there was abuse of discretion, lack of evidence, or other unlawful actions in deciding your bid protest, our bid protest lawyers can also file an appeal on your behalf, although this is a more difficult process.

Nationwide bid-protest services—Washington, D.C. and all states

Federal procurement law allows Watson & Associates’ GAO bid protest lawyers, government contracts law firm, and SBA size-protest attorneys can provide cost-effective and comprehensive bid protest procedure representation to contractors in Denver, Washington D.C., Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and Virgin Islands.

Cities include: San Diego, Dallas, Miami, Atlanta, Anchorage, San Francisco, Denver, Colorado Springs, Indianapolis, Austin, San Antonio, Philadelphia, Santa Clara, San Jose and Chicago.

 

BEST PRACTICES for COLLECTING AND USING CURRENT AND PAST PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

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Contact us for immediate help 

Protect your rights in a bid protest on a federal project. Get competitive rates on nationwide services. Avoid missing deadlines. Get substantive guidance and representation that stands a chance of resolution. Contact the GAO protest attorneys at the law firm of Watson & Associates or call toll free at 866-601-5518.