GAO shutdown could cause protest backlog
Despite the other avenues through which contractors can file protests, the fact that GAO is closed during the government shutdown could cause problems for the agency and for companies when it reopens due to backlogged protests.
The government shutdown might not have slowed down the GSA's $60 billion OASIS contract, but it will present problems for contractors filing bid protests since the Government Accountability Office has closed its protest office, FCW is reporting.
Despite other avenues remaining open to handle such protests, including the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals and the U.S. Court of Federal Appeals, there could still be a backlog of protests when the government opens up again.
To address this problem, the GAO said that it would extend protest decisions for outstanding protests one day for each day that the agency was closed. For those that are made during the shutdown, the agency will extend a decision until the first day it reopens, similar to the agency's policy with deadlines that fall on weekends or holidays, FCW reported.
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