The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released its bid protest statistics for fiscal year 2009.
The number of protests filed rose to 1,989 cases, an increase of 20 percent from the previous fiscal year. Half of this increase is attributable to the GAO’s recently expanded jurisdiction over bid protests involving task and delivery orders, OMB Circular A-76, and the Transportation Security Administration.
Of 315 decisions on the merits, the GAO sustained 57 protests, which represents a sustain rate of 18 percent. However, the reported “Effectiveness Rate” – which is based on a protester obtaining some form of relief from the contracting agency – was 45%. This indicates that agencies took voluntary corrective action in a significant number of cases.
The GAO also reported that there was one instance in which an agency did not fully implement a recommendation made by the GAO in connection with a bid protest. This case involved the sole-source award of a U.S. Army contract for information technology support for the Office of the Judge Advocate General.
The bid protest statistics are available at http://www.gao.gov/special.pubs/bidpro09.pdf.
Source: Fried Frank Government Contracts Alert ® No. 10-04-09
