Protest Intervention: When a Competitor Files a Bid Protest, a Government Contractor Should Take Immediate Steps to Protect Its Award
As we have written previously , contractors must act fast to file a bid protest if they lose a contract award for improper reasons . But what should a contractor do when it wins the award and another competitor files a bid protest? It should immediately intervene in the protest to defend its award. What is Intervention in a Bid Protest and Why Should the Awardee Intervene? When a protest is filed at the Court of Federal Claims (“COFC”) or the Government Accountability Office (“GAO”), the contract awardee can intervene and become a party to that protest to help the Government defend the contract award. Instead of just relying on the Government to raise all the relevant arguments, the awardee can itself raise arguments on its own behalf that support and supplement the Government’s arguments. Every contract awardee should intervene to protect its award. Primary reasons for intervention. Several important reasons exist for the contract awardee to intervene in a protest, including the ...