GAO Rejects Cooperative Agreements Dodge

On August 15, 2012, GAO sustained a protest by several housing agencies challenging HUD's attempt to obtain services through cooperative agreements, finding that HUD improperly avoided the procurement laws and should have awarded a contract. GAO's ruling serves as a reminder that agencies cannot avoid CICA requirements by using cooperative agreements (or inter/intra-agency agreements, which have also received recent attention for possible abuse) to avoid the competitive procurement laws.