Pay-Up-or-Shut-Up Fee Proposed for Federal Contracting Protests
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Companies that want to fight the federal government over billions of dollars in contract awards may have to pay up or shut up.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office, which arbitrates contract disputes, is asking Congress to approve the agency’s first-ever fee to file a bid protest, said Ralph White, GAO’s managing associate general counsel for procurement law. The proposed charge might come in the form of a $240 flat fee, which would fund an online docket system designed to help the GAO cope with a rising caseload, he said.