CFC Weighs in on Timeliness of OCI Protest

In a case of first impression for the Court of Federal Claims and a victory for C&M, which represented the intervenor, the court concluded in CRAssociates v. U.S. (Dec. 23, 2011) that the protestor waives an organizational conflict of interest challenge when it (1) knows that a firm intends to compete, (2) knows the facts giving rise to an OCI concern, (3) notifies the agency of the OCI concern, (4) receives an indication that the agency will not take any remedial action, and (5) fails to file a pre-award challenge to the agency’s decision. The court’s analysis is generally consistent with GAO precedent.