Trends in DOD bid protests

The number of protests against Defense Department contract awards jumped in fiscal 2008 but has remained level relative to DOD’s spending increases in the past several years, according to a report release April 14.

The Government Accountability Office reviewed 581 bid protests filed by companies against DOD’s awards in 2008, which is 17.8 percent more than the previous year, officials reported last week.

But they said the rise matches DOD’s 15.7 percent increase in spending in the same period.

“These similar rates of increase may suggest that the increase in protests was due in part to DOD’s increase in procurement spending,” GAO said in its report. Despite more protests, GAO said it doesn’t represent an increase. The numbers reflect a downward trend when compared to spending, which has climbed by billions of dollars in the same period.