1. Home
  2. |Insights
  3. |It's All In The Name

It's All In The Name

Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 10.14.09

In Wackenhut Int'l, Inc. v. Dep't of State (Sept. 22, 2009), the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals ("CBCA") ;dismissed for lack of jurisdiction when the appellant's Contract Disputes Act claim and subsequent appeal to the CBCA were brought in the name of a single joint venture partner instead of the joint venture itself. The Board found that only the joint venture had privity of contract with the government and that that was altered neither by appellant's 51% ownership stake in the joint venture nor by appellant's obtaining written authorization to pursue the claim from its joint venture partner.

Insights

Client Alert | 4 min read | 09.15.26

GAO Indicates Reasonable Conflict of Interest Investigation Must Include Inquiry of Involved Firm

The U.S. Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) recent decision in Viderity Inc.—Costs, B-424422.5, Sept. 1, 2026, offers useful insight into what constitutes a legally sufficient conflict of interest investigation. The decision arose in an unusual procedural posture: Viderity initially protested, alleging that an agency evaluator had a personal conflict of interest. After the agency took corrective action, Viderity filed a cost entitlement claim requesting that GAO direct the agency to reimburse Viderity’s protest costs. In evaluating that claim, GAO assessed whether Viderity’s underlying protest ground was “clearly meritorious.”...