Construction Law

Defending A Winning Bid featured image

Defending A Winning Bid

When a company or contractor wins the award for a bid they put in for a county, municipal, state, or federal government contract, it should be a cause for celebration. However, if another bidder believes that you were awarded the contract unfairly, they can protest your win. If that happens, there is no guarantee that the protest will be overruled and if it does, the first step to take is to contact your Tampa construction attorney.

Intervening on a Bid Protest

When discovering that your winning contract has been protested, you’ll need to decide whether or not to intervene. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) allows a contractor, as the winner of the contract, to intervene and fight back against the protester. With the help of a Tampa construction lawyer, a contractor can exercise their bid rights.

Forgoing an Intervention

In some cases, a contractor may decide not to intervene on a bid protest, due to any number of reasons, like time. However, it’s important to know that if you choose to not protect your winning award, you are increasing the risk of losing your contract. By not intervening in the bid protest, there are only two options available that you have no control over. The government standing by their award, or choosing to revoke it. By taking the time to hire a lawyer and intervene, you will be in a better position to defend your award and not leave it up to chance.

My Award is Being Protested, What do I do?

Once you learn that your award is being protested, and you decide to intervene, you will need to work quickly with your lawyer to submit a request for intervention. Once your request has been approved, your attorney will file a Notice of Intervention with the GAO. Following that, your lawyer will receive an Agency Report. Since you are the intervenor, you have the authority to write comments on the report and have the chance to argue your case by responding to the allegations made by the protester.

To speak with one of our Tampa construction attorneys or for more information on our construction review and drafting services, please contact us today.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.