Government Claims & Contract Dispute Lawyers

Top Attorneys for Federal Contract Disputes Act CDA Contracting Litigation: Are you a federal government contractor struggling to get paid for your work? Are you dealing with a contracting officer denying changes to the scope of work that the government directed you to perform? Our federal government contractor claims and contract dispute lawyers can help.

If you’re dealing with delay claims, differing site conditions, breach of contract claims, or other contract dispute issues with the government, our legal representation can help. As contractor lawyers, we specialize in preparing government contract claims under the Contract Disputes Act to increase your chances of getting paid.

 Contact us today to schedule a consultation and take the first step toward getting the compensation you deserve.

How Can Contractors Bring Their Disputes or Claims Before the Government?

Under FAR Part 33 Protests, Disputes, and Appeals all disputes with respect to contracting officer decisions on matters “arising under” or “relating to” a contract can be brought before the contracting agency. Agency Boards of Contract Appeals (BCAs) authorized under the Disputes statute continue to have all of the authority they possessed before the Disputes statute with respect to disputes arising under a government contract, as well as authority to decide disputes relating to a contract.

FAR Clause 52.233-1, Disputes, Disputes, recognizes the “all disputes” authority established by the Disputes statute and states certain requirements and limitations of the Disputes statute for the guidance of contractors and contracting agencies. 

Watson & Associates’ Government Contract Dispute attorneys work with small businesses and large DOD contractors by helping them to avoid some of the most costly legal mistakes when preparing and submitting contract claims against the federal government.  

Despite trying your best to please the contracting officer and interested parties, there comes a time when you cannot perform work on a government contract for free.

Tip: Do not sign FAR release of claims government contract document unless you first hire legal counsel. You can end up losing thousands of millions. When it comes to resolving disputes under FAR 33, contract dispute settlement options for government contractors should only include release of claims when both parties have agreed.

Prepare Adequate Government Contractor Claims & Avoid Costly Mistakes on Appeal

Contract Disputes Act claim process is not as simple as it looks: Preparing and submitting government contractor claims can be a difficult process. Large businesses and small businesses alike quickly find out that there is more to developing a Contract Disputes Act claim than creating spreadsheets and a cover letter. 

Agency contracting officers deny claims from contractors simply for technical reasons such as not complying with the Contract Disputes Act requirements. When you have hundreds of thousands of dollars or even millions of dollars at risk, it makes a difference in how you prepare your documents and support. 

Tips:

• You must make all allegations related to contractor claims at the contracting officer level.
• You cannot raise new issues on appeal that you have not brought before the contracting officer.
• ONLY contractor-authorized personnel should certify the claim – not attorneys. See  T.J.D. Servs., Inc. v. United States, a case in which the court found that the claim letter at issue was “signed only by the plaintiff’s attorney and, as such, cannot constitute a certified claim.” 6 Cl. Ct. 257, 261-62 (1984). In both W.H. Moseley and T.J.D. Services, the court dismissed the claims for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction. See W.H. Moseley, 677 F.2d at 852 (“Since plaintiff failed to certify its claim as required by section 6(c)(1) of the Contract Disputes Act of 1978, we are without jurisdiction to consider its direct appeal to this court.”)

Avoid Contractor Claims Mistakes That Prevent You From Bring Your Dispute to an Appeals Court

• no jurisdiction over appeal of claim for economic damages because claim originally presented to Contracting Officer did not have sufficient information for the amount being claimed to be determined; dismisses elements of claims for damages for which lessor does not provide evidence of causation; lessor has adequately pled claim based on superior knowledge) – CanPro Investments, Ltd. v. United States, No. 16-268 C (May 4, 2023)
•  No jurisdiction over portions of count in Complaint that assert  monetary claims (e.g. for nonpayment of invoice and for T for C costs) related to a default termination but not previously presented to the Contracting Officer for a decision. Groundbreaker Development Corp. v. United States, No. 22-578 (Jan. 12, 2023)

  At Watson & Associates, our government contractor lawyers frequently help large and small businesses assess the merits, and prepare and litigate government contract claims against the federal government.

When the contracting officer denies the contractor’s claim without merit to the decision, the law firm provides immediate Contract Disputes Act representation services and aggressively litigates appellate cases before the respective agency Board of Contract Appeals or to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

Attorneys for contractor disputes involving federal government contracts nationwide and overseas. Agency contracting officers frequently deny contractor claims for failure to comply with Contract Disputes Act certification laws, failure to provide a demand or written assertion for money in a sum certain, or failure to notify the agency in a timely manner. In other situations, the agency will deny the contract claim because the contractor previously signed a waiver of the claim that generally precludes you from bringing others against the federal government. 

US and overseas government contract claims services: Our government breach of contract dispute lawyers have national and international reach. We have former government procurement personnel on our team. We, therefore, are in a better position to advocate on your behalf.

At Watson & Associates, LLC, we help clients resolve government contractor claims over $ 1 Million in both construction and service industries.

GOVERNMENT CONTRACT DISPUTE CASES – WHAT WE DO

When it comes to the basics of how to file a claim on a government contract, you cannot make many mistakes. At Watson & Associates, LLC, our government contract dispute law lawyers provide legal assistance with construction litigation support and service contract claims services.  We work with the company’s key players and provide guidance on how to increase your chances of getting paid.

Hire Contract Disputes Act lawyer with Law offices in Washington DC and Colorado: We have national reach and can help any federal contractor in the United States.  As government contracting attorneys for federal contract disputes, we have successfully used our contract claims services to help clients to develop requests for equitable adjustments, cure notices, negotiate change orders, and address out-of-scope work.

Lawyers for Contractor Disputes With the Federal Government – Help from beginning to end:  As government contract claims lawyers, we get involved at the performance stage all the way to claims and dispute litigation at the various courts such as the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (ASBCA), Civilian Board of Contract Appeals (CBCA), Court of Federal Claims (COFC) and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Government Contract Claims Lawyer Services 

We help you with the steps to resolve disputes with the US government as a contractor. They include

Government Subcontractor Disputes

Federal Subcontractor claims and disputes are generally governed by State law. Since subcontractors on federal projects generally do not have privity of contract with the agency, the terms and conditions of the subcontractor agreement will be government by the state law. Subcontractors will often indicate what state law applies. 

If you are a subcontractor and believe that your Contract Disputes Act claim is directly related to the Government’s action or inaction, the prime contractor may sponsor the claim before the Government.  A subcontractor’s government claim may then be brought in the name of the prime contractor. In other words, the prime contractor may sponsor the subcontractor’s claim against the government.

Government Contract Dispute Law and Contractor Claims FAQs

Can the CO Deny a Meritorious Contractor Claim When the Claim Does not Meet the Government Contract Disputes Act Requirements? Not only can the CO deny what would normally be a viable claim, but they also do it quite often. This leaves you to figure out how to deal with and correct the problem. The government contractor claims requirements can be very tricky. 

What Happens When the Contracting Officer Fails to Specify the Reason for Denying Your Contract Claim? Is this By Itself Grounds for Filing an Immediate Appeal? No. Many Contracting Officer Final Decisions (COFD) do not articulate the details and reasons for denying government appeals. 

Contractor Claims Appeal of Contracting Officer’s Final Decision

When the contracting officer denies your CDA contracting claim, you can appeal the decision to the ASBCA, CBCA or US Court of Federal Claims (COFC). Oftentimes construction companies and service contractors attempt to handle the litigation pro se only to find themselves emersed in a set very complex and tricky rules. Our Government Contract Law Dispute Lawyers can minimize unnecessary litigation costs,

 Government Construction Claims Dispute Attorneys

Lawyers for Contract Disputes on Federal Projects Across the Country and Overseas: When construction companies experience differing site conditions, unexpected delays, and excused delays, our government disputes attorneys can help address the legal issues while developing a claim against the government that meets the Contract Disputes Act requirements. 

Need Contract Law Disputes Resolution? Call Our Government Breach of Contract Disputes Lawyers

Hire Contract Disputes Act lawyer:  If you are anticipating issues with upcoming breach of contract claims against the government, filing contract claims against the federal government, or need attorneys who can help with dispute resolution, call our government contract claims lawyers and Contract Disputes Act government contracting attorney for immediate help.

There are many strategies for winning claims against the US government. Call Watson & Associates, LLC government contract dispute lawyers for contractor disputes with the federal government. Toll-Free at 1-866-601-5518.

Disclaimer

The aforementioned statement of general principles applicable to claims litigation, subcontract disputes and government procurement alternative dispute resolution is not intended as legal advice. In order to obtain legal advice applicable to specific facts a consultation is required.