Opinion ID: 2793192
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: In 1999, the Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) awarded a contract to American Renovation & Construction Company (ARC) for the design and construction of family housing at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. ARC then subcontracted the electrical work on the project to Mr. Montano. At some point, ARC apparently defaulted on its contract with the Corps, which resulted in ARC’s surety, St. Paul Mercury Insurance Company (St. Paul), assuming ARC’s obligations under the contract and arranging for Soltek Pacific (Soltek) to complete the project as completion contractor. As part of this transition, Mr. Montano’s subcontract was assigned to Soltek and Mr. Montano continued to perform under the subcontract. Thereafter, Mr. Montano filed a claim with St. Paul, seeking payment for electrical work he performed at Redstone Arsenal. After St. Paul rejected this claim, Mr. Montano repeatedly sought assistance from the contracting officer at the Corps. Each time, the contracting officer explained that he was unable to provide the requested assistance because Mr. Montano did not have a contract with the government, and thus the government was not a party to the dispute. The contracting officer also explained that Mr. Montano should pursue any such claim MONTANO ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR v. US 3 against the prime contractor under the Miller Act, 40 U.S.C. § 3133. 1 In response, Mr. Montano filed a request with the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (ASBCA) seeking assistance resolving his contract matter. The ASBCA docketed Mr. Montano’s request as an appeal and dismissed the appeal for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. Mr. Montano then filed an action in the Claims Court seeking monetary relief from the government for the money owed on his subcontract. In addition, Mr. Montano asserted that the government was liable for the tortious conduct of the contracting officer. Specifically, Mr. Montano asserted that the contracting officer breached his purported duty to inform Mr. Montano of his cause of action against the prime contractor under the Miller Act before the limitations period expired. The Claims Court concluded that it lacked jurisdiction over Mr. Montano’s contract claim because he was not in privity with the government. The Claims Court also determined that it lacked jurisdiction over Mr. Montano’s tort claim because claims brought under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) are expressly excluded from the Claims Court’s jurisdiction. Finally, the Claims Court concluded that it could not transfer Mr. Montano’s FTCA claim because Mr. 1 The Miller Act requires a Government contractor to post a payment bond “for the protection of all persons supplying labor and material in the prosecution of the work provided for” in the contract. 40 U.S.C. § 3131(b)(2). The Act then provides that a person who has furnished labor or material under that contract—i.e., a subcontractor—and has not been paid in full within 90 days after the last labor was performed, may initiate a law suit in federal district court on the payment bond for the unpaid amount. 40 U.S.C. § 3133. 4 MONTANO ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR v. US Montano had failed to file an administrative claim and therefore no district court could exercise jurisdiction over the claim. The present appeal followed. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1295(a)(3).