The Professional Services Council has voiced concerns about two potential amendments to a fiscal 2017 defense authorization bill that would reform the current bid protest process for government contracts.
PSC said Wednesday the House Armed Services Committee should forego consideration of measures that the council believes would not help lessen the impact of contractor protest actions on all bidders and agency procurement efforts.
The Defense Department proposed to limit the ability of a vendor to protest the award of a contract to a competing offeror at the Government Accountability Office and subsequently file a lawsuit in federal claims court if the protester’s challenge is rejected by GAO, the council told HASC Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) and Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-Wash.) in a letter published Monday.
PSC urged the committee not to include DoD’s proposal in the panel’s finalized 2017 National Defense Authorization Act.
A second potential amendment to NDAA seeks to require a company that loses a contract award protest to pay certain costs to the procuring agency, according to the council.
The council added it supports Thornberry’s recommendation that DoD review the bid process and submit its findings to HASC.