Government Contracts Attorneys, Government Procurement Law Firm

As a government contractor, you sometimes find yourself performing work and not being paid for it. This can result from work ordered that is outside the scope of the original contract or the contracting officer representative asking you to do extra work. This gives rise to a government contract claim.

As for any contract, construction or otherwise, you are entitled to prompt payment and fairness from the agency. This obligation allows you to keep your business alive and for you to pay other business obligations. Having a government contract claims attorney can make the difference between prompt payment and a long dragged out process by the agency. The Government contract lawyers at the law firm of Watson & Associates, LLC help large and small contractors resolve contract claims disputes with maximum efficiency. We help you to navigate through the complex regulations and to exercise you legal right to prompt payment. Our attorneys assist you with:

A. A claim is a written demand or assertion by one of the contracting parties seeking the payment of money, the adjustment or interpretation of contract terms, or other relief arising under or relating to the contract. A claim can be made by either the government or a contractor. If the government makes a claim, usually it is because it has overpaid a contractor due to some contract change or defective pricing issue on the part of the contractor. A claim is normally resolved under the contract clause that provides for relief to government contractors during contract performance.

A. Most government contracts contain a Changes clause, which gives the government unilateral authority to order changes in the scope of work during a contractor’s performance of a government contract. While changes to a government contract can often benefit the contractor by resulting in additional work, they can also create disputes between the government and the contractor. If the government orders a “change” that is within the scope of the original contract, most likely the government will not increase the price of the contract to account for the change. Most disputes here involve a contractor’s claim that the “change” requires work beyond the scope of the original contract, and thus the contractor is entitled to additional payment to cover such a change. The government’s position is often that the “change” is not really a change at all, and since the work being requested of the contractor is within the scope of the original contract, the contractor is not entitled to an upward adjustment of the contract price. A change falls under the general scope of the contract if total work performed is essentially the same work or end product as called for in the original contract.

A. No. The court and Appeal Boards may travel outside of Washington to where the contract is being performed or where the witnesses are located. Regardless, if you retain an experienced law firm in the Washington metropolitan area, the firm can help cover the procedural requirements that are involved.

The Contract Disputes Act of 1978 (CDA) provides Government contractors with a choice of forum to challenge a Contracting Officer’s (CO) adverse

Final Decision on a contract claim. You have the exclusive right to choose the forum to litigate a claim. Your attorney may file a suit in the United

States Court of Federal Claims (CFC) or may appeal to the appropriate agency board of contract appeals.

Our government contract attorneys help contractors in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington, DC, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Government Contract Claims Lawyers