GAO Bid Protest Lawyers & Attorneys

Protect Your Company Revenues - Exercise Your Legal Rights Under GAO Bid Protest Law

Call Toll Free 1866-601-5518 or 202.827-9750 in Washington, DC.

If you are been notified that you were the unsuccessful bidder, you might believe that the award was unlawful. You can file a GAO bid protest, Court of Federal Claims or  protest to the agency. Given the short deadlines, you want bid protest lawyers that have in-depth experience in federal procurement law. Understanding GAo protest  rules of  engagement and meeting the short deadlines may be a challenge.

As a small government contracting law firm we offer the same level of representation as larger Washington, DC law firms but at more competitive rates. We also offer:

• Flat rates available until filing;
• Free initial consultation;
• Access to protective order to see agency files (contractors cannot do this)
• Candid and honest advice.

Our services include:

• Completer bid protest analysis
• Filing a GAO protest or agency level protest on your behalf
• Court of Federal Claims Protests
• Bid protest intervention (protest defense)
• Filing motions and discovery matters
• Protective orders on behalf of protestors
• Bid protest appeals
• Small business set aside decisions
• Ostensible subcontractor rule disputes
• SBA Size determination protests and appeals

Our bid protest lawyers  litigate GAO protests involving the following types of recurring issues:

• Non-responsive bids
• 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
• Overly 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 best value trade-off decisions
• Failure to properly apply evaluation criteria set forth in the solicitation
• Failure to conduct meaningful discussions
• Conflict of interest
• Improper best value determinations …and more.

Experienced Bid Protest Lawyers

The bid protest lawyers atWatson & Associates frequently assists government contractors analyze, file or defend bid protest actions. Our comprehensive of experience in government contracting comes from 30 years of combined experience among our staff.

The law firm has gained a reputation as the go-to firm for meticulous advice, aggressive representation of contractors' rights. We provide in-depth legal analysis of the solicitation, derive the case law that supports your position, and file a complete bid protest on your behalf. We are known for our thoroughness and completeness in the bid protest process.

Given that bid protesting can be very tricky, we provide you with thorough analysis and prompt legal authority to support your position. For higher-level Court of Federal Claims bid protests, our firm puts together a solid team of experts to protect or defend your rights. Contact us immediately to protect your rights. Call us toll free at 1-866-601-5518.

GAO Protest Rules and Information 

Only an interested party can file a GAO bid protest: Interested party means an actual or prospective bidder or offeror whose direct economic interest would be affected by the award of a contract or by the failure to award a contract.

If you are the successful bidder, you should protect your interest as an intervenor: Intervenor means an awardee if the award has been made or, if no award has been made, all bidders or offerors who appear to have a substantial prospect of receiving an award if the protest is denied. Our bid protest lawyers can adequately represent your rights in these types of cases.

Time for filing. The GAO bid protest rules state that:

(a)(1) Protests based upon alleged improprieties in a solicitation which are apparent prior to bid opening or the time set for receipt of initial proposals shall be filed prior to bid opening or the time set for receipt of initial proposals. In procurements where proposals are requested, alleged improprieties which do not exist in the initial solicitation but which are subsequently incorporated into the solicitation must be protested not later than the next closing time for receipt of proposals following the incorporation.

(2) Protests other than those covered by paragraph (a)(1) of this section shall be filed not later than 10 days after the basis of protest is known or should have been known (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. In such cases, with respect to any protest basis which is known or should have been known either before or as a result of the debriefing, the initial protest shall not be filed before the debriefing date offered to the protester, but shall be filed not later than 10 days after the date on which the debriefing is held.

Time for decision by GAO: GAO shall issue a decision on a protest within 100 days after it is filed.

Withholding of award and suspension of contract performance: Where a protest is filed with GAO, the agency may be required to withhold award and to suspend contract performance. The requirements for the withholding of award and the suspension of contract performance are set forth in 31 U.S.C. 3553(c) and (d); GAO does not administer the requirements to stay award or suspend contract performance under CICA at 31 U.S.C. 3553(c) and (d).

SBA Size Protests, Size Determinations, and Appeals

Oftentimes a bid protest may be filed if there is reason to believe that there is improper affiliation with a subcontractor. This is commonly referred to as a Size Protest or Size Determination. If you are faced with this problem, our bid protest lawyers can provide legal representation. The impact can be crippling if you attempt to handle this on your own.

Size protests are resolved through the SBA and not GAO. The deadlines are shorter and a representation can be essential to the outcome.

Who can make a size protest?

·       Unsuccessful Offeror

·       Contracting Officer

·       SBA Government Contracting Area Office

·       Other Interested Parties

·       Other Government Officials

Do I need to have the bid protest in a certain format?

There is no format for a protest. If submitting a size protest, one must identify the business and its operators and provide additional information to supplement the claim. In addition, a protest should be filed as soon as possible and include the procurement and specific facts that relate to the size of the business.

SBA Size Determination Lawyers

The appropriate area office makes the initial size determination after a size protest. They are given a very tight time constraint (usually within 10 days of receiving a protest).

The SBA has compiled a list of business entities that the Office of Government Contracting has determined are other than small under specific size standards. To access the list, go to Businesses Determined Other Than Small.

Area office determinations may be appealed to the Office of Hearings and Appeals at SBA headquarters in Washington, D.C., by any of the interested parties.

Size Protest and Appeals

An appeal for a size determination must begin by serving and filing an appeal petition in writing. The following lists the basic rules for appeals:

·       If the appeal is for a size determination in a procurement or pending government property sale, then the appeal petition must be served and filed within 15 calendar days after the size determination was made.

·       If the appeal is for a size determination other than one in a pending procurement or pending government property sale, then the appeal petition must be served and filed within 30 calendar days after the size determination was made.

·       An untimely appeal will be dismissed.

The Office of Hearing and Appeal will do a standard review of the appeal, issue a decision containing the facts and the conclusion that was made based on the appeal, and notify in writing all parties involved. This is the final decision of the SBA.

Nationwide and Overseas Representation

Federal law allows our government contract lawyers  and GAO bid protest attorneys to represent clients regardless of their resident state. Watson & Associates can represent businesses in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington, DC, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Our U.S. Firm also helps DOD contractors in Afghanistan and Iraq construction efforts.

Cities in which we practice federal GAO bid protest law include Anchorage, AK; Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; Chicago, IL; Colorado Springs, CO; Dallas, TX; Denver, Colorado; Indianapolis, IN; Las Vegas, NV; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; Philadelphia, PA; San Antonio, TX; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA; San Jose, CA; Santa Clara, CA; and Tampa, FL.

Call Our Bid Protest Lawyers Today

If you are seeking to protect your company revenues, seeking an experienced GAO bid protest lawyers or SBA protest law firm, contact us at attorney@governmentcontractconsultant.com or call our office at 202.827.9750 or 1.866.601.5518 immediately.

Watson & Associates, LLC

13721 East Rice Place, Suite 106

Aurora, Colorado 80015

720-941-7200.

1629 K Street, N.W., Suite 300

Washington, DC 20006

1-866-601-5518 (Toll Free)

Office of Federal Procurement Policy; Our Consulting Services Resources for Small Businesses; Armed Services Board of Appeals; GAO U.S. Supreme Court Proposal Writing Consultants Termination for Convenience