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On November 16, 2021, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its Annual Report on Bid Protests for Fiscal Year 2021. While GAO received slightly fewer protests in FY2021 than in the year prior, the overall protest “Effectiveness Rate”—meaning the percentage of cases in which the protester received relief, such as voluntary corrective action or a GAO sustain—remained relatively constant, at 48% (the rate has ranged from 44% to 51% in each of the past five years).

GAO’s Annual Report also provides a helpful summary of the most common grounds for sustained protests in the prior year. In FY2021, those grounds were as follows: (1) unreasonable technical evaluation; (2) flawed discussions; (3) unreasonable cost or price evaluation; and (4) unequal treatment. The inclusion of “flawed discussions” on the list is notable—it is the first time in recent history that discussions-based protest arguments have proven so successful. Though firm conclusions are difficult to draw based upon a single year’s data, this may indicate that GAO is taking a closer look—and holding agencies to a higher standard—at the propriety and fairness of discussions.

The chart below shows the top sustain grounds by year. As seen below, flawed technical evaluations and flawed cost/price evaluations continue to represent some of the most consistently successful grounds for sustains, meaning would-be protesters should consider whether they have a credible basis to make such arguments when weighing an award challenge.

Most Prevalent Sustain Grounds By Year

 

2021

 

2020

 

2019

 

2018

 

2017

 

2016

 

2015

 

2014

 

2013

Flawed technical evaluation X X X X X X X
Flawed cost/price evaluation X X X X X X X
Flawed past performance evaluation X X X X
Flawed selection decision X X X X
Inadequate documentation X X X X
Unequal Treatment X X X X
Failure to follow evaluation criteria X X X
Flawed solicitation X
Flawed discussions X
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Photo of Anuj Vohra Anuj Vohra

Anuj Vohra litigates high-stakes disputes on behalf of government contractors in federal and state court, and maintains an active bid protest practice before the U.S. Government Accountability Office and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. He also assists clients with an array of…

Anuj Vohra litigates high-stakes disputes on behalf of government contractors in federal and state court, and maintains an active bid protest practice before the U.S. Government Accountability Office and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. He also assists clients with an array of issues related to contract formation (including subcontracts and teaming agreements), regulatory compliance, internal and government-facing investigations, suspension and debarment, organizational conflicts of interest (“OCIs”), intellectual property and data rights, and the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”).

Prior to entering private practice, Anuj spent six years as a Trial Attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Commercial Litigation Branch. At DOJ, he was a member of the Bid Protest Team—which handles the department’s largest and most complex protests—and served as lead counsel in dozens of matters representing the United States in commercial disputes before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the Court of Federal Claims, and the U.S. Court of International Trade.

Photo of Cherie Owen Cherie Owen

Government contractors of all sizes — from Fortune 10 companies to small businesses — trust Cherie Owen to represent and advise them on a wide range of government contract matters, including bid protests at the Government Accountability Office, the Court of Federal Claims…

Government contractors of all sizes — from Fortune 10 companies to small businesses — trust Cherie Owen to represent and advise them on a wide range of government contract matters, including bid protests at the Government Accountability Office, the Court of Federal Claims, federal procuring agencies, and state courts. Cherie draws on the unique insights she gained as a senior bid protest hearing officer during her 12-year tenure at the GAO to identify the legal arguments and practical strategies most likely to result in strategic wins for her clients.

Clients rely on Cherie to provide counseling regarding contract formation and negotiation with respect to procurement contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, and Other Transaction Agreements. She also advises government contractors on business and compliance matters, including subcontractor agreements, suspension and debarment, and ethics and conflicts rules and mitigation strategies. In doing so, Cherie takes a pragmatic approach to addressing her clients’ legal and business concerns, leveraging her experience as both a GAO bid protest hearing officer and a judge on the GAO Contract Appeals Board. During her time at the GAO, she resolved over 600 protests, issued over 500 bid protest decisions, and conducted approximately 20 bid protest hearings. As one of only a few former GAO bid protest hearing officials in private practice, Cherie’s extensive familiarity with the inner workings of the GAO protest process distinguishes her from most other bid protest practitioners.

Cherie is a thought leader on topics relating to bid protests and agencies’ use of their Other Transaction Authority, holds several leadership roles in the ABA Public Contract Law Section, and maintains an active pro bono practice.