H.R. 5995 would extend the authority of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to hear protests related to certain procurements. Under current law, contractors can protest the award of any civilian task and delivery order procurement valued over $10 million. GAO has exclusive jurisdiction to hear those protests through September 30, 2016. H.R. 5995 would permanently extend that authority.
Information from GAO and several civilian agencies indicates that on average more than 100 protests of contract awards have been filed in recent years and less than 50 percent of the protestors obtained some form of relief from the procuring agency. The form of relief can vary from improvements in the procurement process to reimbursement of the protestors’ costs. CBO estimates that complying with the bill would result in additional costs totaling about $1 million over the 2017-2021 period. That spending, which would cover GAO’s administrative costs as well agency expenses for contract personnel, lawyers, and general administrative overhead, would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
Enacting H.R. 5995 also could affect direct spending by agencies not funded through annual appropriations; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. CBO estimates, however, that any net increase in spending by those agencies would not be significant. Enacting H.R. 5995 would not affect revenues.
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 5995 would not increase direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2027.
H.R. 5995 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
