Construction Law
Why Should You Defend A Winning Bid?
Your company put in a bid for an award or proposed award of a county, municipal, state, or federal government contract, and the contract is awarded to you. If no one protests your award, everything is done and settled. However, if another bidder believes the contract was awarded unfairly, there is no guarantee that you will not lose your contract. So, what do you do when trying to keep your contract?
Protecting Your Contract
Your company just found out that your winning contract has been protested. The first thing you should do is decide if you will “intervene” or not. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) defines an intervenor as “an awardee if the award has been made or, if no award has been made, all bidders or offerers who appear to have a substantial prospect of receiving an award if the protest is denied.” As the winner of the contract, you have the right to intervene and fight the protest. It is recommended that the intervenor exercises their rights by hiring an Orlando contractor attorney and actively participating in the process.
In the cases you decide not to protect your contract, the chances of you losing your contract increase. If you don’t intervene in the bid protest, the government may stand by its award or the agency may choose to revoke their award. By hiring an Orlando contractor lawyer and intervening, you will be in a better position to defend your bid.
After receiving notice that your contract is being protested and you make the decision to intervene, the next step is to work with your attorney to submit a request for intervention. If your request is approved, your or your attorney must file a Notice of Intervention with the GAO.
Your attorney will receive an Agency Report, and because you are the intervenor, you will be allowed to submit comments on the report to argue your case and respond to the allegations made by the protester. Your contractor attorney in Orlando will have access to review confidential information which can be very beneficial for your case. Your attorney will know all the correct procedures to follow when intervening, and will have the experience and skills to help defend your winning contract.
If you are looking for a trusted, and highly experienced bid protest lawyer to handle your case, 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.