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Federal Circuit Clarifies Implied Duty of Good Faith and Fair Dealing

Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 02.19.14

In an important decision clarifying the implied duty of good faith and fair dealing, the Federal Circuit in Metcalf Constr. Co. v. United States (Feb. 11, 2014) held that specifically targeted conduct is not required to prove a breach and rejected the government's assertion that violation of an express provision of the contract is a prerequisite to liability, while observing that the scope of the duty depends on the context of the particular contract and its "contemplated value." The court also vacated the judgment for the government on the ground that the contractor was not to bear the risk of error in the government's affirmative representations made in pre-bid documents.


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Client Alert | 2 min read | 04.16.26

Federal Circuit Holds Challengers to CICA Stay Overrides Need Not Satisfy Four-Factor Injunctive Relief Test

In a significant decision for government contractors, on April 15, 2026, in Life Science Logistics, LLC v. United States, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit held that bid protesters challenging an agency’s override of an automatic stay of contract performance under the Competition in Contracting Act (CICA) need not satisfy the demanding four-factor test traditionally required for preliminary injunctive relief.  In so doing, the Federal Circuit clarified that CICA stay override challenges need only demonstrate that the override decision was arbitrary and capricious—nothing more....