GAO: 2019 bid protests were down 16%

By Marjorie Censer / November 7, 2019 at 12:47 PM

The Government Accountability Office received 2,198 bid protest cases in fiscal year 2019, down 16% from the prior year, according to a new report sent to Congress this week.

The report, dated Nov. 5, notes that protest numbers in recent years peaked in FY-16, when 2,789 cases were filed.

In FY-19, 77 cases, or 13%, were sustained. The effectiveness rate, which measures cases in which the protester received "some form of relief" through agency corrective action or a sustain decision, was 44%, the same as FY-18.

The report notes that the top reason protests were sustained was "unreasonable technical evaluation." The second most prevalent reason was "inadequate documentation of the record."

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