Topic
Bid Protests
550 published works
The Federal Government Contracts & Procurement Blog
The Protest Clock May Start Sooner Than You Think in a FAR 8.4 Procurement: GAO Dismisses Untimely FSS Protest in Hendall Inc.
By Evan Williams, David O'Neill
GAO’s bid protest timeliness rules are strict. Even a strong protest can be dismissed if it is not filed within the deadline established by GAO regulations. In certain procurements, required…
SmallGovCon
GovCon FAQs: How Do I Protest an FAA Acquisition at ODRA?
By Jordan Akins
In the world of bid protests, GAO gets some of the spotlight because there are so many protests filed there. COFC seems to get plenty of attention because of the…
Government Contracts Legal Forum
Federal Circuit Resolves Court Split Over IDIQ Awardee Standing
By Issac Schabes, Cherie Owen, Christian Curran
When an agency conducts a multiple-award indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) competition, successful awardees often wonder whether they can protest the agency’s award to other companies at the U.S. Court…
Government Contracts Legal Forum
August 2026 Bid Protest Sustain of the Month: Agency’s Rule of Two Set-Aside Determination Failed on Multiple Fronts
By Cherie Owen
The following is an installment in Crowell & Moring's Bid Protest Sustain of the Month Series. In this series, Crowell's Government Contracts Practice keeps you up to date with a…
Government Contracts Law
Held at the Gate: COFC Enjoins a DEA Award Because the Agency’s Own Email Filter Made the Winner’s Corrected Quote Late
Here is a scenario that should keep every proposal manager up at night. You hit “send” on a corrected quote 29 minutes before the contracting officer’s deadline. The agency’s own…
Government Contracts Legal Forum
Recent Court Decision Indicates the “Close at Hand” Doctrine is Alive and Well
By Cherie Owen
The “too close at hand” principle allows GAO or the court to find an evaluation unreasonable where an agency fails to consider past performance information it was aware of –…
Government Contracts Featured Insights
Protests Involving Limitation on Subcontracting Certifications in SDVOSB Procurements
The limitations on subcontracting clause in federal contracts prohibits small businesses from subcontracting out more than a specified percentage of work to non-similarly situated entities. For contracts set-aside for service…
Government Contracts Legal Forum
Recent Court Decision Highlights Effectiveness of “Second Bite” Protests
By John E. McCarthy Jr., Cherie Owen
A recent U.S. Court of Federal Claims (COFC) decision serves as an important reminder that when the Government Accountability Office (GAO) denies a protest, this is not necessarily the end…
Government Contracts Legal Forum
July 2026 Bid Protest Sustain of the Month: Four Reports, Zero Analysis, One Problem – VA’s Past Performance Evaluation Falls Short
By Cherie Owen
The following is an installment in Crowell & Moring's Bid Protest Sustain of the Month Series. In this series, Crowell's Government Contracts Practice keeps you up to date with a…
SmallGovCon
It Wasn’t a Catch-22: GAO Finds the File Naming Conventions Were Clearly Stated in the Solicitation
By Jordan Akins
A catch-22 is an impossible, no-win situation where you are caught between two conflicting requirements, and complying with one makes it impossible to comply with the other. When a bid protest turns on whether an agency’s instructions were…