Source: http://farsite.hill.af.mil/reghtml/regs/far2afmcfars/fardfars/Far/33.htm
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 12:53:47
Document Index: 570375799

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 33', 'art.\n33', 'art 33', 'art 50', 'art 50', 'art 50']

FAR -- Part 33 Protests, Disputes, and Appeals
33.000 -- Scope of Part.
33.001 -- General.
33.101 -- Definitions.
33.102 -- General.
33.103 -- Protests to the Agency.
33.104 -- Protests to GAO.
33.105 – Protests at the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.
33.106 -- Solicitation Provision and Contract Clause.
33.201 -- Definitions.
33.202 -- Disputes.
33.203 -- Applicability.
33.204 -- Policy.
33.205 -- Relationship of the Disputes Statute to Pub. L. 85-804.
33.206 -- Initiation of a Claim.
33.207 -- Contractor Certification.
33.208 -- Interest on Claims.
33.209 -- Suspected Fraudulent Claims.
33.210 -- Contracting Officers Authority.
33.211 -- Contracting Officers Decision.
33.212 -- Contracting Officers Duties Upon Appeal.
33.213 -- Obligation to Continue Performance.
33.214 -- Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).
FAR -- Part 33
“Day” means a calendar day, unless otherwise specified. In the computation of any period --
(2) The last day after the act, event, or default is included unless --
(a) Without regard to the protest venue, contracting officers shall consider all protests and seek legal advice, whether protests are submitted before or after award and whether filed directly with the agency or the Government Accountability Office (GAO), or the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. (See 19.302 for protests of small business status, 19.305 for protests of disadvantaged business status, 19.306 for protests of HUBZone small business status, and 19.307 for protests of service-disabled veteran-owned small business status and 19.308 for protests of the status of an economically disadvantaged women-owned small business concern or of a women-owned small business concern eligible under the Women-Owned Small Business Program.)
(b) If, in connection with a protest, the head of an agency determines that a solicitation, proposed award, or award does not comply with the requirements of law or regulation, the head of the agency may --
(d) Protest likely after award. The contracting officer may stay performance of a contract within the time period contained in subparagraph 33.104(c)(1) if the contracting officer makes a written determination that --
(1) Protests shall be concise and logically presented to facilitate review by the agency. Failure to substantially comply with any of the requirements of subparagraph (d)(2) of this section may be grounds for dismissal of the protest.
(2) If award is withheld pending agency resolution of the protest, the contracting officer will inform the offerors whose offers might become eligible for award of the contract. If appropriate, the offerors should be requested, before expiration of the time for acceptance of their offers, to extend the time for acceptance to avoid the need for resolicitation. In the event of failure to obtain such extension of offers, consideration should be given to proceeding with award pursuant to subparagraph (f)(1) of this section.
(2) Immediately after receipt of the GAO’s written notice that a protest has been filed, the agency shall give notice of the protest to the contractor if the award has been made, or, if no award has been made, to all parties who appear to have a reasonable prospect of receiving award if the protest is denied. The agency shall furnish copies of the protest submissions to such parties with instructions to
(i) communicate directly with the GAO, and
(ii) provide copies of any such communication to the agency and to other participating parties when they become known. However, if the protester has identified sensitive information and requests a protective order, then the contracting officer shall obtain a redacted version from the protester to furnish to other interested parties, if one has not already been provided.
(i) Upon notice that a protest has been filed with the GAO, the contracting officer shall immediately begin compiling the information necessary for a report to the GAO. The agency shall submit a complete report to the GAO within 30 days after the GAO notifies the agency by telephone that a protest has been filed, or within 20 days after receipt from the GAO of a determination to use the express option, unless the GAO --
(ii) When a protest is filed with the GAO, and an actual or prospective offeror so requests, the procuring agency shall, in accordance with any applicable protective orders, provide actual or prospective offerors reasonable access to the protest file. However, if the GAO dismisses the protest before the documents are submitted to the GAO, then no protest file need be made available. Information exempt from disclosure under 5 U.S.C.552 may be redacted from the protest file. The protest file shall be made available to non-intervening actual or prospective offerors within a reasonable time after submittal of an agency report to the GAO. The protest file shall include an index and as appropriate --
(iv) The agency report to the GAO shall include --
(i) At the same time the agency submits its report to the GAO, the agency shall furnish copies of its report to the protester and any intervenors. A party shall receive all relevant documents, except --
(A) If the protester requests additional documents within 2 days after the protester knew the existence or relevance of additional documents, or should have known, the agency shall provide the requested documents to the GAO within 2 days of receipt of the request.
(ii) Exclusions and rebuttals Within 2 days after receipt of a copy of the protective order request, any party may file with the GAO a request that particular documents be excluded from the coverage of the protective order, or that particular parties or individuals be included in or excluded from the protective order. Copies of the request shall be furnished simultaneously to all parties.
(1) When the agency has received notice from the GAO of a protest filed directly with the GAO, a contract may not be awarded unless authorized, in accordance with agency procedures, by the head of the contracting activity, on a nondelegable basis, upon a written finding that --
(1) When the agency receives notice of a protest from the GAO within 10 days after contract award or within 5 days after a debriefing date offered to the protester for any debriefing that is required by 15.505 or 15.506, whichever is later, the contracting officer shall immediately suspend performance or terminate the awarded contract, except as provided in subparagraphs (c)(2) and (3) of this section.
(2) In accordance with agency procedures, the head of the contracting activity may, on a nondelegable basis, authorize contract performance, notwithstanding the protest, upon a written finding that --
(5) When the agency receives notice of a protest filed with the GAO after the dates contained in subparagraph (c)(1), the contracting officer need not suspend contract performance or terminate the awarded contract unless the contracting officer believes that an award may be invalidated and a delay in receiving the supplies or services is not prejudicial to the Government’s interest.
(5) No agency shall pay a party, other than a small business concern within the meaning of section 3(a) of the Small Business Act (see 2.101, “Small business concern’’), costs under paragraph (h)(2) of this section
(ii) For attorney’s fees that exceed $150 per hour, unless the agency determines, based on the recommendation of the Comptroller General on a case-by-case basis, that an increase in the cost of living or a special factor, such as the limited availability of qualified attorneys for the proceedings involved, justifies a higher fee. The cap placed on attorneys’ fees for businesses, other than small businesses, constitutes a benchmark as to a “reasonable’’ level for attorney’s fees for small businesses.
Procedures for protests at the U.S. Court of Federal Claims are set forth in the rules of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. The rules may be found at http://www.uscfc.uscourts.gov/rules-and-forms .
“Alternative dispute resolution (ADR)” means any type of procedure or combination of procedures voluntarily used to resolve issues in controversy. These procedures may include, but are not limited to, conciliation, facilitation, mediation, fact-finding, minitrials, arbitration and use of ombudsmen.
“Issue in controversy” means a material disagreement between the Government and the contractor that--
41 U.S.C. chapter 71, Disputes, establishes procedures and requirements for asserting and resolving claims subject to the Disputes statute. In addition, the Disputes statute provides for:
The Government’s policy is to try to resolve all contractual issues in controversy by mutual agreement at the contracting officer’s level. Reasonable efforts should be made to resolve controversies prior to the submission of a claim. Agencies are encouraged to use ADR procedures to the maximum extent practicable. Certain factors, however, may make the use of ADR inappropriate (see 5 U.S.C. 572(b)). Except for arbitration conducted pursuant to the Administrative Dispute Resolution Act (ADRA), (5 U.S.C. 571, et seq.), agencies have authority which is separate from that provided by the ADRA to use ADR procedures to resolve issues in controversy. Agencies may also elect to proceed under the authority and requirements of the ADRA.
(a) Requests for relief under Public Law 85-804 (50 U.S.C. 1431-1435) are not claims within the Disputes statute or the Disputes clause at 52.233-1, Disputes, and shall be processed under Subpart 50.1, Extraordinary Contractual Actions. However, relief formerly available only under Public Law 85-804; i.e., legal entitlement to rescission or reformation for mutual mistake, is now available within the authority of the contracting officer under the Disputes statute and the Disputes clause. In case of a question whether the contracting officer has authority to settle or decide specific types of claims, the contracting officer should seek legal advice.
(c) A claim that is either denied or not approved in its entirety under paragraph (b) of this section may be cognizable as a request for relief under Public Law 85-804 as implemented by subpart 50.1. However, the claim must first be submitted to the contracting officer for consideration under the Disputes statute because the claim is not cognizable under Public Law 85-804, as implemented by Part 50, unless other legal authority in the agency concerned is determined to be lacking or inadequate.
(a) The Government shall pay interest on a contractor’s claim on the amount found due and unpaid from the date that --
Except as provided in this section, contracting officers are authorized, within any specific limitations of their warrants, to decide or resolve all claims arising under or relating to a contract subject to the Disputes statute. In accordance with agency policies and 33.214, contracting officers are authorized to use ADR procedures to resolve claims. The authority to decide or resolve claims does not extend to --
(3) Coordinate with the contract administration office or contracting office, as appropriate; and
(d) The contracting officer shall issue a decision within a reasonable time, taking into account --
(a) In general, before passage of the Disputes statute, the obligation to continue performance applied only to claims arising under a contract. However, the Disputes statute at 41 U.S.C. 7103(g), authorizes agencies to require a contractor to continue contract performance in accordance with the contracting officer’s decision pending a final resolution of any claim arising under, or relating to, the contract. (A claim arising under a contract is a claim that can be resolved under a contract clause, other than the clause at 52.233-1 Disputes, that provides for the relief sought by the claimant; however, relief for such claim can also be sought under the clause at 52.233-1. A claim relating to a contract is a claim that cannot be resolved under a contract clause other than the clause at 52.233-1.) This distinction is recognized by the clause with its Alternate I (see 33.215).
(a) The objective of using ADR procedures is to increase the opportunity for relatively inexpensive and expeditious resolution of issues in controversy. Essential elements of ADR include --
(a) Insert the clause at 52.233-1, Disputes, in solicitations and contracts, unless the conditions in 33.203 (b) apply. If it is determined under agency procedures that continued performance is necessary pending resolution of any claim arising under or relating to the contract, the contracting officer shall use the clause with its Alternate I.