Where to Protest When the Agency Says Your Bid is “Late” (Presented by The Federal Bar Association Government Contracts Section)

David Timm
David Timm | Burr & Forman, LLP

David’s experience includes bid protests, claims, and disputes at the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Boards of Contract Appeals, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims (COFC), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, state courts, and binding arbitration/mediation.

On-Demand: October 23, 2025

1 hour CLE

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Program Summary

This webinar will discuss best practices for bid submission and the durable split between the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Court of Federal Claims (COFC) on the issue of timely submission of bids. Protesters claiming that their bid was timely submitted regularly lose their protest at GAO and win at COFC on the same facts. The split arose due to the difference in interpretation between GAO and COFC concerning the government control exception to the “Late is Late” FAR rule. The webinar will also cover the other timeliness exceptions including the systemic failure doctrine and unanticipated event rule.

Presented by The Federal Bar Association Government Contracts Section 

Key topics to be discussed:

  • Understand the Late is Late Rule and its exceptions
  • Learn how GAO and COFC interpret and apply the exceptions
  • Identify best practices for bid submission

This course is co-sponsored with myLawCLE.

Closed-captioning available

Speakers

David Timm | Burr & Forman, LLP

David helps contractors when their work with the Government goes wrong. His focus is on complex disputes, claims, and bid protests over federal, state, and local government contracts. David is the chair of the bid protest committee for the Federal Bar Association’s Government Contracts Section. David also serves as the co-chair for Burr & Forman’s AI committee.

David’s experience includes bid protests, claims, and disputes at the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Boards of Contract Appeals, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims (COFC), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, state courts, and binding arbitration/mediation. David advises companies navigating the SBA’s rules, including the 8(a) program, HUBZone, SBIR, and others. David has extensive E-discovery expertise. He has qualified for a U.S. Top Secret Security clearance and frequently works on cases involving various levels of classified materials.

Agenda

I. The “Late is Late” Rule | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

II. Exceptions: Government Control, Systemic Failure, Unanticipated Events | 2:10pm – 2:20pm

III. Choosing the Right Forum: GAO vs. COFC | 2:20pm – 2:30pm

IV. Recent Developments: Federal Circuit’s Dismissal of eSimplicity Appeal | 2:30pm – 2:40pm

V. Best Practices & Recommendations | 2:40pm – 2:45pm

VI. Resources and Q&A | 2:45pm – 3:00pm

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