Architect-Engineering Firm Wins GAO Protest Alleging Misevaluation of Qualification Statements under $2 Billion Brooks Act Procurement
Client Alert | 1 min read | 12.11.20
Government procurements for architect-engineering services do not follow the typical Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) rules applied to the purchase of other goods and services. Instead, these services are procured under the authority of the Brooks Act, according to special procedures designed to identify the most qualified firms; specifically, the Two-Phase Design-Build Selection Procedures set forth in FAR subpart 36.3, and Architect-Engineer Services Contract Procedures set forth in FAR subpart 36.6. But those procedures provide no exceptions from bid protest. In the protest of Evergreen JV, B-418475.4, Sept. 23, 2020, the disappointed offeror argued that the Air Force failed to evaluate its qualifications according to the qualitative evaluation criteria identified in the Agency’s synopsis. GAO sustained the protest. For more, click here.
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Client Alert | 6 min read | 11.26.25
From ‘Second’ to ‘First:’ Federal Circuit Tackles Obvious Claim Errors
Patent claims must be clear and definite, as they set the boundaries of the patentee’s rights. Occasionally, however, claim language contains errors, such as typographical mistakes or incorrect numbering. Courts possess very limited authority to correct such errors. The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has emphasized that judicial correction is appropriate only in rare circumstances, where (1) the error is evident from the face of the patent, and (2) the proposed correction is the sole reasonable interpretation in view of the claim language, specification, and prosecution history. See Group One, Ltd. v. Hallmark Cards, Inc., 407 F.3d 1297, 1303 (Fed. Cir. 2005) and Novo Indus., L.P. v. Micro Molds Corp., 350 F.3d 1348, 1357 (Fed. Cir. 2003).
Client Alert | 5 min read | 11.26.25
Client Alert | 6 min read | 11.25.25
Brussels Court Clarifies the EU’s SPC Manufacturing Waiver Regulation Rules
Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.24.25
