Public officials, vendors and citizens may bring inquiries and complaints to the Office for assistance . Note, however, that vendors and citizens are not required to bring complaints and protests to this Office. They may, if they choose, seek resolution in court. If the Office receives a complaint or protest, we use an informal dispute resolution process to resolve protests as efficiently as possible without resort to litigation . If a protest is reasonable on its face, we will contact the jurisdiction to request documents or to seek clarification on how a decision was made.
Protesters often identify themselves to local awarding authorities.
However, if a protester prefers to remain anonymous, the identity of the protester is protected under our confidentiality rules. We will inform the jurisdiction of our opinion before we discuss it with the protester. To save time, we generally notify everyone concerned by telephone. We focus on developing solutions to problems . In general, the Office's approach is to assist the local awarding authority in determining whether there is a problem and, if so, how best to address the problem.