Opinion ID: 691321
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Whether Linan-Faye Refused to Begin Work

Text: 66 Linan-Faye asserts that the district court improperly found it refused to begin work. According to Linan-Faye, it did not refuse to begin work, but merely wanted to agree on any changes that HACC desired before it began construction. Linan-Faye contends that there is no basis in the record for the district court's finding that it flatly refused to begin work. 67 We find that the question of whether Linan-Faye flatly refused to begin work is immaterial to this case. Whether Linan-Faye actually refused to begin work would be relevant if it was necessary to decide if Linan-Faye defaulted on its obligations. The district court, however, based its holding on the doctrine of constructive termination for convenience. Linan-Faye Construction Co., 847 F.Supp. at 1203. The constructive termination for convenience doctrine makes the original reason for termination relevant only to the extent that it evidences the government's bad faith or a change in circumstances from the time of contracting. 20 The issue of whether there was an actual default by Linan-Faye in refusing to begin work is immaterial. In this case the default termination is converted into a termination for convenience of the government by operation of law. Since we agree with the district court that it was appropriate to apply the constructive termination for convenience doctrine, we hold that this issue is immaterial. 68