How to Navigate a Federal Bid Protest—with Carissa Siebeneck Anderson - EP107

So, your small business lost out on a federal bid. But you feel like you were unfairly scored or that the contract requirements were biased. Do you file a protest?

Carissa Siebeneck Anderson is Of Counsel at the Washington DC Office of Birch Horton Bittner & Cherot. She has expertise in the realm of small business government contracting, SBA 8(a), HUBZone, women- and veteran-owned programs, and she regularly represents clients in bid protests.

Prior to joining Birch Horton Bittner & Cherot, Carissa worked as Government & Legislative Affairs Associate for Navajo Nation and served as Management and Program analyst for the US Secret Service.

On this episode of the RFP Success Show, Carissa joins me to discuss federal bid protests, weighing in on the most common reasons for filing a bid protest and why she recommends filing through the Government Accountability Office or GAO.

She explains the role of the protester, the procuring agency and the intervener in a bid protest, exploring when a solicitation or contract can be protested and how much time you have to file.

Listen in for Carissa's advice on deciding whether the cost of a protest is worth it for your small business and navigating the process of filing a federal bid protest.

Key Takeaways

How Carissa’s background in intelligence led to her current focus on government contracts law

The most common reasons for filing a pre-award or post-award bid protest

The 3 places where you can bring a bid protest and why the Government Accountability Office is the most popular venue

The role of an intervener in a bid protest and why the awardee should always file to intervene

When it makes sense to intervene if you’re not the awardee

How to decide whether the cost of filing a bid protest is worth it for your small business

How a bid protest impacts a company’s relationship with the procuring agency

What it means to be an interested party to a bid protest

When a company that’s been disqualified can file a bid protest

How the status of a procuring agency and the nature of the transaction affect whether a solicitation or contract can be protested

How much time you have to file a bid protest from the time you knew of the protest grounds

How a CICA stay requires a federal agency to suspend the contract award/performance while a protest is pending 

Connect with Carissa

Birch Horton Bittner & Cherot

Birch Horton Bittner & Cherot on LinkedIn

Birch Horton Bittner & Cherot on Facebook

Email canderson@bhb.com 

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Lisa’s Website

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Lisa on LinkedIn

The RFP Success Company on YouTube

The RFP Success Company on LinkedIn

Subscribe on iTunes

Email podcast@rfpsuccess.com 

Resources

US Court of Federal Claims

US Government Accountability Office

Competition in Contracting Act

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