Report of the Commission on Government ... - Bayhdolecentral
Report of the Commission on Government ... - Bayhdolecentral
Report of the Commission on Government ... - Bayhdolecentral
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Legal and Administrative Remedies<br />
We fur<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r recommend that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> authority<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>tracting <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>ficer and o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>ficials to<br />
act in c<strong>on</strong>necti<strong>on</strong> with each c<strong>on</strong>tract be made<br />
clear to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>tractor; <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> present distincti<strong>on</strong><br />
between "breach <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>tract" disputes and<br />
disputes arising "under <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>tract" be abolished;<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> time periods for seeking review <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
adverse administrative decisi<strong>on</strong>s be uniform<br />
and relatively short; interest be paid <strong>on</strong> all<br />
claims awarded by administrative and judicial<br />
forums; and court judgments <strong>on</strong> c<strong>on</strong>tract<br />
claims adverse to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>Government</strong> be paid from<br />
agency appropriati<strong>on</strong>s.<br />
These recommendati<strong>on</strong>s are presented as a<br />
"package" approach to achieving our objectives.<br />
Some <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> recommendati<strong>on</strong>s serve more<br />
than <strong>on</strong>e objective. For example, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> recommendati<strong>on</strong><br />
to pay interest when a c<strong>on</strong>tractor<br />
obtains a favorable board or court decisi<strong>on</strong> is<br />
intended to make it whole for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> expense <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
obtaining what was rightfully due it. But it<br />
also represents a cost to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> agency that should<br />
make <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> agency more management c<strong>on</strong>scious<br />
about disputes, and thus cause <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> agency to<br />
improve its c<strong>on</strong>tract administrati<strong>on</strong>, as well as<br />
c<strong>on</strong>sider <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> possibilities <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> a fair and equitable<br />
settlement through negotiati<strong>on</strong>.<br />
We do not say ·that every recommendati<strong>on</strong><br />
is necessary in order to achieve <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> obj ectives<br />
described above, or that some adjustments in<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> recommendati<strong>on</strong>s would be fatal to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
objectives. It will be important, however, to<br />
c<strong>on</strong>sider <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> individual recommendati<strong>on</strong>s in c<strong>on</strong>text<br />
with each o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> stated objectives,<br />
and to balance <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> effect <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> excising <strong>on</strong>e or<br />
more <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> recommendati<strong>on</strong>s. Should some<br />
recommendati<strong>on</strong>s be adopted and o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>rs not,<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> balance designed in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> recommended system<br />
could be disturbed to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> detriment <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> its<br />
efficient and fair operati<strong>on</strong>.<br />
Our recommendati<strong>on</strong>s dealing with <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> resoluti<strong>on</strong><br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> disputes arising in c<strong>on</strong>necti<strong>on</strong> with<br />
c<strong>on</strong>tract performance are discussed in detail<br />
in Chapter 2.<br />
DISPUTES RELATED TO THE<br />
AWARD OF CONTRACTS<br />
The Present System<br />
Disputes also occur during <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> process that<br />
leads to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> award <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> a <strong>Government</strong> c<strong>on</strong>tract.<br />
These disputes are called "award protests"<br />
and may be defined as complaints lodged by<br />
interested parties against any part <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>tract<br />
award process. Protests are usually initiated<br />
by a company that has made an <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>fer<br />
for a <strong>Government</strong> c<strong>on</strong>tract or would like to<br />
make an <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>fer. Typical protests have included<br />
allegati<strong>on</strong>s that (1) <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> technical evaluati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
a proposal was not properly c<strong>on</strong>ducted, (2) <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
type <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> solicitati<strong>on</strong> used was not in accordance<br />
with statutes or regulati<strong>on</strong>s, (3) <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> low bidder<br />
was not qualified to perform <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> work, or (4)<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> bidder who was awarded <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>tract was<br />
not resp<strong>on</strong>sive to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> terms <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> solicitati<strong>on</strong>.<br />
Unlike disputes occurring under a c<strong>on</strong>tract,<br />
no clause in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> solicitati<strong>on</strong> gives <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>feror a<br />
right to protest. Nor is such right found in<br />
any statutory language. The basic executive<br />
procurement regulati<strong>on</strong>s and procedures promulgated<br />
by <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> General Accounting Office<br />
(GAO) permit protests against <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> award <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
a c<strong>on</strong>tract to be lodged with <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> agency that<br />
solicited <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> award and with GAO. Protests<br />
also may be filed with U.S. district courts or<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Court <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Claims. This "award protest system"<br />
for resoluti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> disputes related to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
award <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> a <strong>Government</strong> c<strong>on</strong>tract is outlined in<br />
figure 3.<br />
PROCURING AGENCY<br />
The executive procurement regulati<strong>on</strong>s do<br />
not provide detailed procedures <strong>on</strong> how a protest<br />
may be lodged with a procuring agency.<br />
They do require c<strong>on</strong>tracting <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>ficers to c<strong>on</strong>sider<br />
all protests involving <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> award <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> a c<strong>on</strong>tract,<br />
whe<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r submitted before or after award. Unlike<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> requirements <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> disputes clause,<br />
agency internal regulati<strong>on</strong>s govern whe<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r<br />
c<strong>on</strong>tracting <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>ficers will decide protests submitted<br />
to a particular agency. Some agency<br />
regulati<strong>on</strong>s require most protests to be decided<br />
at a senior level within <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> agency, while <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
policy <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r agencies is for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>tracting<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>ficer to decide all protests unless special c<strong>on</strong>siderati<strong>on</strong>s<br />
require <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> forwarding <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> particular<br />
protests to higher headquarters.<br />
1 Historically <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y have been called "bid protests." Since many<br />
protests todaY involve negotiated p rocurements, we have chosen<br />
"award protests" as a more accurate term.<br />
i'<br />
5