{"id":27355,"date":"2022-02-17T18:09:02","date_gmt":"2022-02-17T23:09:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adr.gov\/?page_id=27355"},"modified":"2022-02-18T14:10:36","modified_gmt":"2022-02-18T19:10:36","slug":"ch13","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/adr.gov\/guidance\/adrguide-home\/ch13\/","title":{"rendered":"Ch.13 – Other Avenues"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-1 nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);background-position: center center;background-repeat: no-repeat;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px;border-width: 0px 0px 0px 0px;border-color:#eae9e9;border-style:solid;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-0 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-one-full fusion-column-first fusion-column-last\" style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\" style=\"background-position:left top;background-repeat:no-repeat;-webkit-background-size:cover;-moz-background-size:cover;-o-background-size:cover;background-size:cover;padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px;\"><style type=\"text\/css\"><\/style><div class=\"fusion-title title fusion-title-1 fusion-title-text fusion-title-size-two\" style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:31px;margin-left:0px;\"><h2 class=\"title-heading-left\" style=\"margin:0;\">Ch.13 – Other Avenues<\/h2><span class=\"awb-title-spacer\"><\/span><div class=\"title-sep-container\"><div class=\"title-sep sep-double sep-solid\" style=\"border-color:#e0dede;\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-1\"><p>Some other protest-like processes exist, but they do not fit neatly into the previous chapters.<\/p>\n<p><strong><u>The USPS Disagreement Resolution Process<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The U.S. Postal Service offers a two-stage process for addressing protests. \u00a039 CFR. 601.107 and 601.108. \u00a0The first stage, called “initial disagreement resolution,” lasts for ten days after a timely protest is lodged with the responsible contracting officer. \u00a0<em>Id<\/em>. at 601.107. \u00a0The contracting officer has ten days thereafter to issue a written “resolution,” i.e., a decision. During this phase, ADR may be used and\u00a0the contracting officer’s ten-day deadline is suspended.\u00a0<em>\u00a0Id<\/em>. at 601.107(c).\u00a0 As described in the U.S. Postal Service’s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/about.usps.com\/manuals\/spp\/html\/welcome.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"> Supplying Principles and Practices (July 1, 2014)<\/a>, at 7-4.2, ADR usually takes the form of mediation or negotiation, but arbitration can be used if approved by the Vice-President for Supply Management.<\/p>\n<p>ADR is not stated as an option for the second phase of the protest process described in 39 CFR 601.108.<\/p>\n<p><u><strong>Task and Delivery Order Ombudsman for FAR Contracts<\/strong><\/u><\/p>\n<p>Part of the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act (FASA) addresses controversies relating to the award of task and delivery orders when several contracts have been awarded.\u00a0 In these controversies, contractors with indefinite delivery contracts compete against each other for award of the work embodied in a proposed order to be issued under one of the indefinite delivery contracts.\u00a0 FASA limits the jurisdiction of the U.S.\u00a0Court of Federal Claims over all protests \u201cin connection with\u00a0the issuance or proposed issuance\u201d of such orders unless the protest alleges increases to the scope, period, or maximum value of a master contract.\u00a0 10 USC 2304c(e); 41 USC 4106(f). \u00a0The GAO has exclusive jurisdiction over other protests of task and delivery orders valued in excess of $10 million, but orders below that amount cannot be protested unless the protest alleges increases to the scope, period, or maximum value of the master contract. \u00a010 USC 2304c(e); 41 USC 4106(f).<\/p>\n<p>While Congress limited protest jurisdiction over task orders, it also mandated that agencies with such multiple award contracts provide\u00a0a \u201cTask and Delivery Order Ombudsman.\u201d\u00a0 10 U.S.C. \u00a7 2304c(f); 41 U.S.C. \u00a7 4106(g).\u00a0 The role of the ombudsman is to ensure that the contract holders have a \u201cfair opportunity\u201d to compete for orders. \u00a010 USC 2304c(f); 41 USC\u00a04106(g); <em>see also<\/em> FAR 16.505.\u00a0 The ombudsman is to be a \u201csenior agency official who is independent of the contracting officer for the contracts and may be the executive agency\u2019s advocate for competition.\u201d\u00a0 10 USC\u00a02304c(f); 41 USC\u00a04106(g).<\/p>\n<p>Procedures for contacting the ombudsman will most likely be stated in the ordering procedures specified in the master contract.\u00a0 Frequently these are \u201cspecial clauses.\u201d\u00a0 The procedures will vary from agency-to-agency, and maybe program-to-program.\u00a0 Similarly, the authority or influence of the ombudsman can vary widely.\u00a0 For an example of an agency-specific clause, see\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/adr.gov\/guidance\/adrguide-home\/13-nasa-idiq-ombuds-html\/\">NASA’s version<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong><u>Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA)<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The SBA OHA handles size protests and other procurement related matters for the SBA. \u00a0Since 2010, the SBA OHA has offered use of ADR for all matters within its jurisdiction:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>Sec. 134.216 — Alternative dispute resolution procedures<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>(a) At any time during the pendency of a case, the parties may submit a joint motion requesting that the Judge permit the use of alternative dispute resolution procedures to assist in resolving the matter.\u00a0 If the motion is granted, the Judge will also stay the proceedings before OHA, in whole or in part, as he or she deems appropriate, pending the outcome of the alternative dispute resolution procedures.<\/p>\n<p>(b) A Judge may offer alternative dispute resolution procedures to the parties at any time during the proceeding.<\/p>\n<p>(c) The AA\/OHA [Assistant Administrator for OHA] or a Judge may designate a Judge or attorney assigned to OHA to serve as a neutral in alternative dispute resolution procedures.\u00a0 If OHA provides the neutral and the mediation fails to resolve all issues in the case, the OHA-provided neutral will not be involved in the adjudication.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span lang=\"en\" xml:lang=\"en\">13 C.F.R. 134.216 [<\/span><a title=\"61 FR 2683\" href=\"http:\/\/frwebgate.access.gpo.gov\/cgi-bin\/getpage.cgi?dbname=1996_register&position=all&page=2683\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span lang=\"en\" xml:lang=\"en\">61 FR 2683<\/span><\/a><span lang=\"en\" xml:lang=\"en\">, Jan. 29, 1996, as amended at <\/span><a title=\"75 FR 47441\" href=\"http:\/\/frwebgate.access.gpo.gov\/cgi-bin\/getpage.cgi?dbname=2010_register&position=all&page=47441\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span lang=\"en\" xml:lang=\"en\">75 FR 47441<\/span><\/a><span lang=\"en\" xml:lang=\"en\">, Aug. 6, 2010].<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"grayLine\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<p>Subpages <span id=\"subpages-total-number\">(1):<\/span> <a dir=\"ltr\" href=\"https:\/\/adr.gov\/guidance\/adrguide-home\/13-nasa-idiq-ombuds-html\/\">NASA IDIQ Ombuds<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"parent":27194,"menu_order":8,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adr.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/27355"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adr.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adr.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adr.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adr.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27355"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/adr.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/27355\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adr.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/27194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adr.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}