Courts, Boards, & GAO
COFC Affirms Capacious Deference to Agencies in Protests that Broach National Security Matters
The protester challenged the Air Force's denial of an SBIR award based on national security concerns tied to the company founders' decades-old connections to...
How to File a GAO Bid Protest in 2026: Deadlines, the Automatic Stay, and Your Real Odds
GovConFeed - Losing a federal award you believe was wrongly decided puts you on a clock that starts running before most companies realize it....
“You Don’t See the Real Me”: GAO Finds Protester’s Proposal Was Merely Good, Not Excellent
The protester argued that the agency unreasonably rated its proposal as "good" rather than "excellent" under the most important technical factor, and conducted a...
April 2026 Bid Protest Sustain of the Month: You Can’t Change the Game Without Letting the Players Adjust
Crowell & Moring - In this n installment in Crowell & Moring’s Bid Protest Sustain of the Month Series, Crowell Consultant (and former GAO...
Despite Protester’s Creative Procedural Arguments, GAO Finds Protests Were Submitted Too Late
The protester challenged the terms of three solicitations, arguing they contained restrictive provisions that unjustifiably limited competition. The protester submitted the protests on the...
GAO Unbothered by Solo Discussions with the “Best Suited” Vendor
The protester challenged the issuance of a task order, arguing the agency improperly held exchanges only with the awardee without first making a valid...
Sure, I Got an Award, But I’m Mad Someone Else Did Too. Can I Protest?
Two protesters challenged an award to a joint venture under a multiple-award, small-business set-aside contract. One of the protesters had been a member of...
Low Price, High Drama: Did the Navy Cut Corners on the Price Analysis?
A disappointed offeror challenged the Navy's award of a contract for submarine escape suits, arguing the agency failed to properly scrutinize the awardee's lower...
Shadow AI in Government Contract Proposal Evaluations: Emerging Bid Protest Risks for Federal Contractors
Bradley - Federal contractors should pay close attention to a growing issue in government procurement: the use of shadow AI and generative AI by...
Five Percent to Stay Quiet: How the New “Loser Pays” Rule Discourages Legitimate Procurement Challenges
Centre Law & Consulting - There is a quiet way to discourage people from challenging the government, and it is not to forbid the...
GAO Reaffirms that Proposals Without a Realistic Chance of Award Do Not Belong in the Competitive Range
The protester challenged its exclusion from the competitive range, arguing the agency applied unstated evaluation criteria and unreasonably assessed numerous weaknesses and deficiencies in...
Protests are Starting to Test the Limits of Procurement Speed
Courtney Holbrook - A recent GAO decision may signal something the federal acquisition community has not yet paid enough attention to: Procurement speed still...
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