Jurisdiction exists under the Administrative Dispute Resolution Act if a plaintiff alleges a violation of a statute or regulation in connection with a procurement.
An incumbent contractor sought attorney fees under the Equal Access to Justice Act after obtaining a preliminary injunction to prevent an agency from overriding a bid protest stay. The Court of Federal Claims denied the fees, finding it lacked jurisdiction and that the government's position was substantially justified. The court held that the Administrative Dispute Resolution Act grants jurisdiction over actions involving an alleged violation of a statute or regulation in connection with a procurement. Because the agency's override of a stay is a statute in connection with a procurement, the court possessed jurisdiction. However, the court affirmed the denial of fees because the government's litigating position was substantially justified.
At page 1289 Determining jurisdictional connection of statute to procurement137 citing cases“the operative phrase 'in connection with' is very sweeping in scope.”
- Goodwill Indus. of South Florida, Inc. v. United States, No. 21-1391 (Fed. Cl. Nov. 7, 2021).published(The operative phrase ‘in connection with’ is very sweeping in scope.)
- The Tolliver Grp., Inc. v. United States, No. 20-1108 (Fed. Cl. Nov. 30, 2020).published ([a] challenge on the merits would, for example, amount to an objection to ‘a proposed award or the award of a contract’)
- Alphapointe v. Dep't of Vets. Affairs, 475 F. Supp. 3d 1 (D.D.C. 2020).published (As long as a statute has a connection to a procurement proposal, an alleged violation suffices to supply jurisdiction.)
- Fms Inv. Corp. v. United States, No. 18-204 (Fed. Cl. Mar. 6, 2018).published(As long as a statute [or regulation] has a connection to a procurement at issue, an alleged violation suffices to supply jurisdiction.)
- Palantir Usg, Inc. v. United States, 129 Fed. Cl. 218 (Fed. Cl. 2016).published(The operative phrase ‘in connection with’ is very sweeping in scope.)
- Sev1tech, Inc. v. United States, No. 15-923 (Fed. Cl. Mar. 25, 2016).published(The operative phrase ‘in connection with’ is very sweeping in scope.)
- Palladian Partners, Inc. v. United States, 119 Fed. Cl. 417 (Fed. Cl. 2014).published (The operative phrase ‘in connection with’ is very sweeping in scope.)
- Colonial Press Int'l, Inc. v. United States, No. 13-403C (Fed. Cl. Dec. 3, 2013).published(The operative phrase ‘in connection with’ is very sweeping in scope.)
- Kwv, Inc. v. United States, 111 Fed. Cl. 119 (Fed. Cl. 2013).published(§ 1491(b) ... does not require an objection to the actual contract procurement.... As long as a statute has a connection to a procurement proposal, an alleged violation suf *125 fices to supply jurisdiction.)
- Arcata Assocs., Inc. v. United States, 110 Fed. Cl. 290 (Fed. Cl. 2013).published(As long as a statute has a connection to a procurement proposal, an alleged violation suffices to supply jurisdiction.)
Show 125 more citing cases
- Weeks Marine, Inc. v. United States, 575 F.3d 1352 (Fed. Cir. 2009).published (If § 1491(b) required a challenge to the merits of the contract award, the contractor would never need to use the ‘violation’ prong but could always rely on other jurisdictional grants in § 1491(b)(1).)
- Alion Sci. & Tech. Corp. v. United States, 69 Fed. Cl. 14 (Fed. Cl. 2005).published RAMCOR, 185 F.3d at 1288-89 (“As long as a statute has a connection to a procurement proposal, an alleged violation suffices to supply jurisdiction.”).
- OTI Am., Inc. v. United States, 68 Fed. Cl. 108 (Fed. Cl. 2005).published (The operative phrase ‘in connection with’ [a procurement or a proposed procurement] is very sweeping in scope.)
- Labat-Anderson, Inc. v. United States, 346 F. Supp. 2d 145 (D.D.C. 2004).published (As long as a statute has a connection to a procurement proposal, an alleged violation suffices to supply jurisdiction.)
- Int'l Bus. Sales & Servs. Corp. v. United States, No. 26-401 (Fed. Cl. June 3, 2026).published(noting that the question before the court was “whether an objection to a [31 U.S.C.] § 3553(c)(2) override can serve as a jurisdictional basis under § 1491(b)(1)” which, “in turn, require[d] [the] court to determine whe…)
- Dutch Ridge Consulting Grp., LLC v. United States, No. 26-303 (Fed. Cl. May 20, 2026).unpublishedGrp., Inc. v. United States, 185 F.3d 1286, 1289 (Fed.Cir.1999)).
- percipient.ai, Inc. v. United States, 153 F.4th 1226 (Fed. Cir. 2025).published(further discussing that “[the override statute] fits comfortably in that broad category.)
- Mvl USA, Inc. v. United States, No. 24-1057 (Fed. Cl. May 6, 2025).publishedGrp., Inc. v. United States, 185 F.3d 1286, 1289 (Fed. Cir. 1999)) (cleaned up).
- Raytheon Co. v. United States, No. 24-1824 (Fed. Cl. Feb. 24, 2025).publishedGrp., Inc. v. United States, 185 F.3d 1286, 1289 (Fed. Cir. 1999); Sys.
- Cotter Corp., N.S.L. v. United States, 127 F.4th 1353 (Fed. Cir. 2025).publishedThe phrase, we have repeatedly recognized in another context, is on its face “very sweeping in scope.” RAMCOR Services Group, Inc. v. United States, 185 F.3d 1286, 1289 (Fed. Cir. 1999); see Acetris Health, LLC v. United States, 949 F.3d 7…
- Advanced Tech. Sys. Co. v. United States, No. 23-1000 (Fed. Cl. Dec. 3, 2024).publishedGrp., Inc. v. United States, 185 F.3d 1286, 1289 (Fed. Cir. 1999).
- percipient.ai, Inc. v. United States, 104 F.4th 839 (Fed. Cir. 2024).published Grp., Inc. v. United States, 185 F.3d 1286, 1289 (Fed. Cir. 1999).
- percipient.ai, Inc. v. United States, No. 23-28 (Fed. Cl. Apr. 7, 2023).published Group v. United States, 185 F.3d 1286, 1289 (Fed. Cir. 1999).
- Def. Integrated Solutions, LLC v. United States, No. 23-64 (Fed. Cl. Apr. 5, 2023).publishedGrp., Inc. v. United States, 185 F.3d 1286, 1289 (Fed. Cir. 1999))). 17 standing to pursue them.”).
- Ekagra Partners, LLC v. United States, No. 22-1038 (Fed. Cl. Dec. 21, 2022).publishedGrp., Inc. v. United States, 185 F.3d 1286, 1289 (Fed. Cir. 1999))). 14 United States, -- Fed. Cl. --, 2022 WL 17087798 , at *10 (Fed. Cl. Nov. 10, 2022) (citing Blue Origin Fed’n, LLC v. United States, 157 Fed. Cl. 74 , 89 (2021)); see al…
- Cgs-Asp Sec., Jv, LLC v. United States, No. 22-237 (Fed. Cl. Dec. 14, 2022).publishedGrp., Inc. v. United States, 185 F.3d 1286, 1289 (Fed. Cir. 1999)).
- Ahtna Logistics LLC. v. United States, No. 22-780 (Fed. Cl. Dec. 6, 2022).publishedGrp., Inc. v. United States, 185 F.3d 1286, 1289 (Fed. Cir. 1999))). 10 “Standing is an integral part of jurisdiction.” Seventh Dimension, LLC v. United States, 160 Fed. Cl. 1 , 14 (2022) (citing Lujan v. Defs. of Wildlife, 504 U.S. 555, 5…
- Vanquish Worldwide, LLC v. United States, No. 22-887 (Fed. Cl. Nov. 21, 2022).publishedGrp., Inc. v. United States, 185 F.3d 1286, 1289 (Fed. Cir. 1999))). 15 1362 (Fed. Cir. 2009) (quoting WinStar Commc’ns, Inc. v. United States, 41 Fed. Cl. 748, 763 (1998)). 13 Under either “interested party” test, “the question of prejudi…
- Focus Revision Partners v. United States, No. 22-657 (Fed. Cl. Sept. 12, 2022).publishedGrp., Inc. v. United States, 185 F.3d 1286, 1289 (Fed. Cir. 1999))). 5 granted under the Tucker Act” because such challenges are actions “in connection with” a procurement.
- Pub. Warehousing Co. K.S.C. v. Def. Supply Ctr. Philadelphia, 489 F. Supp. 2d 30 (D.D.C. 2007).published
- Nat'l Air Cargo Grp., Inc. v. United States, 126 Fed. Cl. 281 (Fed. Cl. 2016).published
- Aero Spray, Inc. v. United States, No. 21-1079, 2021 WL 5023371 (Fed. Cl. Oct. 28, 2021).published
- Global Comput. Enter., Inc. v. United States, 88 Fed. Cl. 350 (Fed. Cl. 2009).published
- Distributed Solutions, Inc. v. United States, 539 F.3d 1340 (Fed. Cir. 2008).published
- Vero Technical Support, Inc. v. United States Dep't of Def., 437 F. App'x 766 (11th Cir. 2011).unpublished
- Rothe Dev., Inc. v. United States Dep't of Def., 666 F.3d 336 (5th Cir. 2011).published
- KWV, Inc. v. United States, 108 Fed. Cl. 448 (Fed. Cl. 2013).published
- Miles Constr., Llc v. United States, 108 Fed. Cl. 792 (Fed. Cl. 2013).published
- One Largo Metro, Llc v. United States, 109 Fed. Cl. 39 (Fed. Cl. 2013).published
- Caddell Constr. Co., Inc. v. United States, 111 Fed. Cl. 49 (Fed. Cl. 2013).published
- McAfee, Inc. v. United States, 111 Fed. Cl. 696 (Fed. Cl. 2013).published
- Protect Lake Pleasant, LLC v. McDonald, 609 F. Supp. 2d 895 (D. Ariz. 2009).published
- Corel Corp. v. United States, 165 F. Supp. 2d 12 (D.D.C. 2001).published
- Dyncorp Int'l LLC v. United States, 113 Fed. Cl. 298 (Fed. Cl. 2013).published
- Sra Int'l, Inc. v. United States, 114 Fed. Cl. 247 (Fed. Cl. 2014).published
- Space Expl. Tech. Corp. v. United States, 116 Fed. Cl. 68 (Fed. Cl. 2014).published
- Fcn, Inc. v. United States, 115 Fed. Cl. 335 (Fed. Cl. 2014).published
- Hymas v. United States, 117 Fed. Cl. 466 (Fed. Cl. 2014).published
- Am. Auto Logistics, Lp v. United States, 117 Fed. Cl. 137 (Fed. Cl. 2014).published
- Octo Consulting Grp., Inc. v. United States, 117 Fed. Cl. 334 (Fed. Cl. 2014).published
- Ambuild Co., LLC v. United States, 119 Fed. Cl. 10 (Fed. Cl. 2014).published
- Bannum, Inc. v. United States, 119 Fed. Cl. 291 (Fed. Cl. 2014).published
- Framaco Int'l, Inc. v. United States, 119 Fed. Cl. 311 (Fed. Cl. 2015).published
- Precise Sys., Inc. v. United States, 120 Fed. Cl. 586 (Fed. Cl. 2015).published
- Caddell Constr. Co., LLC v. United States, 120 Fed. Cl. 724 (Fed. Cl. 2015).published
- Palladian Partners, Inc. v. United States, 783 F.3d 1243 (Fed. Cir. 2015).published
- Coast Prof'l, Inc. v. United States, 120 Fed. Cl. 727 (Fed. Cl. 2015).published
- Guam Indus. Servs., Inc. v. United States, 122 Fed. Cl. 546 (Fed. Cl. 2015).published
- Tenica & Assocs., Inc v. United States, 123 Fed. Cl. 166 (Fed. Cl. 2015).published
- Itility, LLC v. United States, 124 Fed. Cl. 452 (Fed. Cl. 2016).published
- Hymas v. United States, 810 F.3d 1312 (Fed. Cir. 2016).published
- Validata Chem. Servs. v. United States Dep't of Energy, 169 F. Supp. 3d 69 (D.D.C. 2016).published
- Agustawestland North Am., Inc. v. United States, 127 Fed. Cl. 793 (Fed. Cl. 2016).published
- Ecosystem Inv. Partners v. United States, 130 Fed. Cl. 537 (Fed. Cl. 2017).published
- Jacobs Tech. Inc. v. United States, 131 Fed. Cl. 430 (Fed. Cl. 2017).published
- Diaz v. United States, 853 F.3d 1355 (Fed. Cir. 2017).published
- Pds Consultants, Inc. v. United States, 132 Fed. Cl. 117 (Fed. Cl. 2017).published
- Vets. Tech., LLC v. United States, 133 Fed. Cl. 146 (Fed. Cl. 2017).published
- Vets. Contracting Grp., Inc. v. United States, 133 Fed. Cl. 613 (Fed. Cl. 2017).published
- geiler/schrudde & Zimmerman v. United States, No. 16-186 (Fed. Cl. Aug. 30, 2017).published
- Senter, LLC v. United States, No. 17-1752 (Fed. Cl. May 16, 2018).published
- geiler/schrudde & Zimmerman v. United States, No. 17-2517 (Fed. Cir. July 27, 2018).unpublished
- Cleveland Assets, LLC v. United States, 897 F.3d 1332 (Fed. Cir. 2018).published
- Electra-Med Corp. v. United States, No. 18-927 (Fed. Cl. Oct. 3, 2018).published
- Space Expl. Tech. Corp. v. United States, No. 19-742 (Fed. Cl. Aug. 28, 2019).published
- Lax Elec., Inc. v. United States, No. 19-1668 (Fed. Cl. Dec. 17, 2019).unpublished
- Acetris Health, LLC v. United States, 949 F.3d 719 (Fed. Cir. 2020).published
- Lax Elec., Inc. v. United States, No. 20-1498 (Fed. Cir. Nov. 3, 2020).unpublished
- Kinemetrics, Inc. v. United States, No. 21-1626 (Fed. Cl. Sept. 17, 2021).published
- Iap Worldwide Servs., Inc. v. United States, No. 21-1570 (Fed. Cl. Apr. 5, 2022).published
- Seventh Dimension, LLC v. United States, No. 21-2275 (Fed. Cl. May 11, 2022).published
- Englobal Gov't Servs., Inc. v. United States, No. 21-2317 (Fed. Cl. May 12, 2022).published
- Am. Fed'n of Gov't Employees v. United States, 46 Fed. Cl. 586 (Fed. Cl. 2000).published
- Novell, Inc. v. United States, 46 Fed. Cl. 601 (Fed. Cl. 2000).published
- Labat-Anderson Inc. v. United States, 50 Fed. Cl. 99 (Fed. Cl. 2001).published
- Alaska Cent. Express, Inc. v. United States, 51 Fed. Cl. 227 (Fed. Cl. 2001).published
- Ceres Env't Servs., Inc. v. United States, 52 Fed. Cl. 23 (Fed. Cl. 2002).published
- Lion Raisins, Inc. v. United States, 52 Fed. Cl. 115 (Fed. Cl. 2002).published
- Hopi Tribe v. United States, 55 Fed. Cl. 81 (Fed. Cl. 2002).published
- Spherix, Inc. v. United States, 62 Fed. Cl. 497 (Fed. Cl. 2004).published
- Block v. United States, 66 Fed. Cl. 68 (Fed. Cl. 2005).published
- Chapman Law Firm Co. v. United States, 67 Fed. Cl. 188 (Fed. Cl. 2005).published
- S.K.J. & Assocs., Inc. v. United States, 67 Fed. Cl. 218 (Fed. Cl. 2005).published
- Asia Pac. Airlines v. United States, 68 Fed. Cl. 8 (Fed. Cl. 2005).published
- Advanced Sys. Tech., Inc. v. United States, 69 Fed. Cl. 474 (Fed. Cl. 2006).published
- Sys. Plus, Inc. v. United States, 69 Fed. Cl. 757 (Fed. Cl. 2006).published
- Cigna Gov't Servs., LLC v. United States, 70 Fed. Cl. 100 (Fed. Cl. 2006).published
- PHT Supply Corp. v. United States, 71 Fed. Cl. 1 (Fed. Cl. 2006).published
- Advanced Sys. Dev., Inc. v. United States, 72 Fed. Cl. 25 (Fed. Cl. 2006).published
- Automation Tech., Inc. v. United States, 72 Fed. Cl. 723 (Fed. Cl. 2006).published
- Holland v. United States, 74 Fed. Cl. 225 (Fed. Cl. 2006).published
- Maden Tech Consulting Inc. v. United States, 74 Fed. Cl. 786 (Fed. Cl. 2006).published
- Knowledge Connections, Inc. v. United States, 76 Fed. Cl. 6 (Fed. Cl. 2007).published
- Frazier v. United States, 79 Fed. Cl. 148 (Fed. Cl. 2007).published
- Knowledge Connections, Inc. v. United States, 79 Fed. Cl. 750 (Fed. Cl. 2007).published
- Int'l Mgmt. Servs., Inc. v. United States, 80 Fed. Cl. 1 (Fed. Cl. 2007).published
- Savantage Fin. Servs. Inc. v. United States, 81 Fed. Cl. 300 (Fed. Cl. 2008).published
- CNA Corp. v. United States, 81 Fed. Cl. 722 (Fed. Cl. 2008).published
- Alabama Aircraft Indus., Inc.-Birmingham v. United States, 83 Fed. Cl. 666 (Fed. Cl. 2008).published
- E-Mgmt. Consultants, Inc. v. United States, 84 Fed. Cl. 1 (Fed. Cl. 2008).published
- Nortel Gov't Solutions, Inc. v. United States, 84 Fed. Cl. 243 (Fed. Cl. 2008).published
- Unisys Corp. v. United States, 90 Fed. Cl. 510 (Fed. Cl. 2009).published
- FAS Support Servs., LLC v. United States, 93 Fed. Cl. 687 (Fed. Cl. 2010).published
- K-LAK Corp. v. United States, 93 Fed. Cl. 749 (Fed. Cl. 2010).published
- Navarro Rsch. & Eng'g, Inc. v. United States, 94 Fed. Cl. 224 (Fed. Cl. 2010).published
- Magnum Opus Tech., Inc. v. United States, 94 Fed. Cl. 512 (Fed. Cir. 2010).published
- Angelica Textile Servs., Inc. v. United States, 95 Fed. Cl. 208 (Fed. Cl. 2010).published
- PMTech, Inc. v. United States, 95 Fed. Cl. 330 (Fed. Cl. 2010).published
- Harris Patriot Healthcare Solutions, LLC v. United States, 95 Fed. Cl. 585 (Fed. Cl. 2010).published
- Mobile Med. Int'l Corp. v. United States, 95 Fed. Cl. 706 (Fed. Cl. 2010).published
- RCD Cleaning Serv., Inc. v. United States, 97 Fed. Cl. 582 (Fed. Cl. 2011).published
- Med Trends, Inc. v. United States, 101 Fed. Cl. 638 (Fed. Cl. 2011).published
- Ceradyne, Inc. v. United States, 103 Fed. Cl. 1 (Fed. Cl. 2012).published
- Distributed Solutions, Inc. v. United States, 104 Fed. Cl. 368 (Fed. Cl. 2012).published
- Sys. Application & Tech., Inc. v. United States, 107 Fed. Cl. 795 (Fed. Cl. 2012).published
- Am. Apparel, Inc. v. United States, 108 Fed. Cl. 11 (Fed. Cl. 2012).published
- Colonial Press Int'l, Inc. v. United States, 113 Fed. Cl. 497 (Fed. Cl. 2013).published
- Constellation West, Inc. v. United States, 125 Fed. Cl. 505 (Fed. Cl. 2015).published
- Geiler/Schrudde & Zimmerman v. United States, 133 Fed. Cl. 578 (Fed. Cl. 2017).published
- Hydraulics Int'l, Inc. v. United States, No. 22-364 (Fed. Cl. Aug. 8, 2022).published
- Combat Med., LLC v. Esper, No. 1:19-cv-01609 (E.D. Va. May 4, 2020).
- Advance Constr. Servs., Inc. v. United States, 51 Fed. Cl. 362 (Fed. Cl. 2002).published
- Rhinocorps Ltd. v. United States, 85 Fed. Cl. 712 (Fed. Cl. 2009).published
- RhinoCorps Ltd. v. United States, 87 Fed. Cl. 481 (Fed. Cl. 2009).published
- Gov't Technical Servs. LLC. v. United States, 90 Fed. Cl. 522 (Fed. Cl. 2009).published
At page 1290 Determining court jurisdiction and agency review standards59 citing casesThe trial judge enjoys considerable discretion to determine eligibility for an EAJA award.
- Agma Sec. Serv., Inc. v. United States, No. 20-926 (Fed. Cl. June 26, 2022).published(The trial judge enjoys considerable discretion to determine eligibility for an EAJA award.)
- Adkins v. United States, No. 10-851 (Fed. Cl. June 29, 2021).published(The trial judge enjoys considerable discretion to determine eligibility for an EAJA award.)
- Small v. United States, No. 11-273 (Fed. Cl. Jan. 9, 2017).published(The trial judge enjoys considerable discretion to determine eligibility for an EAJA award.)
- Small v. United States, 130 Fed. Cl. 88 (Fed. Cl. 2016).published(The trial judge enjoys considerable discretion to determine eligibility for an EAJA award.)
- Info. Sciences Corp. v. United States, 86 Fed. Cl. 269 (Fed. Cl. 2009).published Group, 185 F.3d at 1288 (“Once a prevailing party satisfies the EAJA requirements ... the burden shifts to the Government to show that its litigating position was ‘substantially justified.’”).
- Fcn, Inc. v. United States, No. 26-1144 (Fed. Cl. Aug. 11, 2026).publishedGrp. v. United States, 185 F.3d 1286, 1290 (Fed. Cir. 1999)).
- Rice Servs., Inc. v. United States, No. 26-109 (Fed. Cl. Apr. 13, 2026).publishedGrp., Inc. v. United States, 185 F.3d 1286, 1290 (Fed.
- Tribal Health, LLC v. United States, No. 25-1700 (Fed. Cl. Nov. 20, 2025).publishedGrp., Inc. v. United States, 185 F.3d 1286, 1290 (Fed. Cir. 1999); see also Starside Sec. & Investigation, Inc. v. United States, 177 Fed. Cl. 28 , 33 (2025).
- Gemini Tech Servs., LLC v. United States, No. 25-1337 (Fed. Cl. Sept. 18, 2025).unpublishedGrp., Inc. v. United States, 185 F.3d 1286, 1290 (Fed. Cir. 1999)).
- Starside Sec. & Investigation, Inc. v. United States, No. 19-1453 (Fed. Cl. June 27, 2025).publishedGrp. v. United States, 185 F.3d 1286, 1290 (Fed.
Show 46 more citing cases
- Novell, Inc. v. United States, 46 Fed. Cl. 601 (Fed. Cl. 2000).published
- Impresa Construzioni Geom. Domenico Garufi v. United States, 238 F.3d 1324 (Fed. Cir. 2001).published
- Thomas P. Chotta v. Eric K. Shinseki, 23 Vet. App. 73 (Vet. App. 2009).published
- Supreme Foodservice Gmbh v. United States, 109 Fed. Cl. 369 (Fed. Cl. 2013).published
- Bannum, Inc. v. United States, 121 Fed. Cl. 543 (Fed. Cl. 2015).published
- Sufi Network Servs., Inc. v. United States, 128 Fed. Cl. 683 (Fed. Cl. 2016).published
- Favor Techconsulting, LLC v. United States, 129 Fed. Cl. 208 (Fed. Cl. 2016).published
- At & T Corp. v. United States, 133 Fed. Cl. 550 (Fed. Cl. 2017).published
- Intelligent Waves LLC v. United States, No. 18-465 (Fed. Cl. May 9, 2018).published
- Dynetics, Inc. v. United States, No. 18-481 (Fed. Cl. May 31, 2018).unpublished
- Centech Grp., Inc. v. United States, No. 17-2031 (Fed. Cl. June 1, 2018).unpublished
- Stromness Mpo, LLC v. United States, No. 14-711 (Fed. Cl. Oct. 15, 2018).published
- Safeguard Base Operations, LLC v. United States, No. 18-1515 (Fed. Cl. Nov. 5, 2018).published
- Technica LLC v. United States, No. 18-2003 (Fed. Cl. Feb. 22, 2019).published
- Safeguard Base Operations, LLC v. United States, 792 F. App'x 945 (Fed. Cir. 2019).unpublished
- Nika Tech., Inc. v. United States, No. 20-299 (Fed. Cl. Apr. 21, 2020).published
- Stg LLC v. United States, No. 20-283 (Fed. Cl. Apr. 28, 2020).published
- Comprehensive Health Servs., LLC v. United States, No. 20-1585 (Fed. Cl. Nov. 24, 2020).published
- Phoenix Air Grp., Inc. v. United States, 46 Fed. Cl. 90 (Fed. Cl. 2000).published
- Cube Corp. v. United States, 46 Fed. Cl. 368 (Fed. Cl. 2000).published
- DSD Labs., Inc. v. United States, 46 Fed. Cl. 467 (Fed. Cl. 2000).published
- Maint. Engineers v. United States, 50 Fed. Cl. 399 (Fed. Cl. 2001).published
- Lion Raisins, Inc. v. United States, 51 Fed. Cl. 238 (Fed. Cl. 2001).published
- ABF Freight Sys., Inc. v. United States, 55 Fed. Cl. 392 (Fed. Cl. 2003).published
- Halter Marine, Inc. v. United States, 56 Fed. Cl. 144 (Fed. Cl. 2003).published
- Lion Raisins, Inc. v. United States, 57 Fed. Cl. 505 (Fed. Cl. 2003).published
- CSE Constr. Co. v. United States, 58 Fed. Cl. 230 (Fed. Cl. 2003).published
- Vantage Assocs., Inc. v. United States, 59 Fed. Cl. 1 (Fed. Cl. 2003).published
- Keeton Corr., Inc. v. United States, 62 Fed. Cl. 134 (Fed. Cl. 2004).published
- Conscoop-Consorzia Fra Coop. Di Prod. E Lavoro v. United States, 62 Fed. Cl. 219 (Fed. Cl. 2004).published
- Arch Chemicals, Inc. v. United States, 64 Fed. Cl. 380 (Fed. Cl. 2005).published
- KSEND v. United States, 69 Fed. Cl. 103 (Fed. Cl. 2005).published
- Avtel Servs., Inc. v. Unites States, 70 Fed. Cl. 173 (Fed. Cl. 2005).published
- KSD, Inc. v. United States, 72 Fed. Cl. 236 (Fed. Cl. 2006).published
- Colorado Dep't of Human Servs. v. United States, 74 Fed. Cl. 339 (Fed. Cl. 2006).published
- Hillensbeck v. United States, 74 Fed. Cl. 477 (Fed. Cl. 2006).published
- Chant Eng'g Co. v. United States, 75 Fed. Cl. 62 (Fed. Cl. 2007).published
- Info. Int'l Assocs., Inc. v. United States, 75 Fed. Cl. 656 (Fed. Cl. 2007).published
- Geo-Seis Helicopters, Inc. v. United States, 79 Fed. Cl. 74 (Fed. Cl. 2007).published
- Infrastructure Def. Tech., LLC v. United States, 81 Fed. Cl. 375 (Fed. Cl. 2008).published
- Metric Constr. Co. v. United States, 83 Fed. Cl. 446 (Fed. Cl. 2008).published
- Blakley v. United States, 85 Fed. Cl. 360 (Fed. Cl. 2008).published
- Planetspace Inc. v. United States, 86 Fed. Cl. 566 (Fed. Cl. 2009).published
- Eskridge Rsch. Corp. v. United States, 92 Fed. Cl. 88 (Fed. Cl. 2010).published
- Metro. Van & Storage, Inc. v. United States, 101 Fed. Cl. 173 (Fed. Cl. 2011).published
- URS Fed. Servs., Inc. v. United States, 102 Fed. Cl. 664 (Fed. Cl. 2011).published
At page 1288 Jurisdictional challenges to agency stay overrides and fee shifting33 citing cases“violation of a statute or regulation in connection with a procurement or a proposed procurement.”
- Info. Sciences Corp. v. United States, 86 Fed. Cl. 269 (Fed. Cl. 2009).published (Once a prevailing party satisfies the EAJA requirements ... the burden shifts to the Government to show that its litigating position was ‘substantially justified.’)
- FFTF Restoration Co. v. United States, 86 Fed. Cl. 226 (Fed. Cl. 2009).published (As long as a statute has a connection to a procurement ..., an alleged violation suffices to supply jurisdiction.)
- Alion Sci. & Tech. Corp. v. United States, 69 Fed. Cl. 14 (Fed. Cl. 2005).published (As long as a statute has a connection to a procurement proposal, an alleged violation suffices to supply jurisdiction.)
- OTI Am., Inc. v. United States, 68 Fed. Cl. 108 (Fed. Cl. 2005).published See RAMCOR, 185 F.3d at 1289 (“The operative phrase ‘in connection with’ [a procurement or a proposed procurement] is very sweeping in scope.”).
- Dobyns v. United States, 101 F.4th 839 (Fed. Cir. 2024).published Grp., Inc. v. United States, 185 F.3d 1286, 1288 (Fed. Cir. 1999). “[W]hether equitable relief is warranted on the circumstances of a particular case involves factual determinations . . . which are entitled to deference.” Frazer v. United…
- Bey v. United States, No. 23-1924 (Fed. Cir. Feb. 9, 2024).unpublishedGrp., Inc. v. United Case: 23-1924 Document: 17 Page: 4 Filed: 02/09/2024 4 BEY v. US States, 185 F.3d 1286, 1288 (Fed. Cir. 1999).
- Turner v. United States, No. 17-305 (Fed. Cl. Apr. 19, 2023).publishedGrp., Inc. v. United States, 185 F.3d 1286, 1288 (Fed.
- Davis v. Nicholson, 475 F.3d 1360 (Fed. Cir. 2007).published
- Emery Worldwide Airlines, Inc. v. United States & Fed. Express Corp., 264 F.3d 1071 (Fed. Cir. 2001).published
- Libas, Ltd. v. United States, 314 F.3d 1362 (Fed. Cir. 2003).published
Show 21 more citing cases
- United States v. Universal Fruits & Vegetables Corp., 491 F. Supp. 2d 1313 (Ct. Intl. Trade 2007).published
- Juanita L. Hughett v. United States, 110 Fed. Cl. 680 (Fed. Cl. 2013).published
- Pub. Warehousing Co. K.S.C. v. Def. Supply Ctr. Philadelphia, 489 F. Supp. 2d 30 (D.D.C. 2007).published
- Bru'ton v. United States, 621 F. App'x 650 (Fed. Cir. 2015).unpublished
- Advanced Gov't Solutions, Inc. v. United States, 123 Fed. Cl. 610 (Fed. Cl. 2015).published
- Shafer v. United States, No. 13-889 (Fed. Cl. Dec. 8, 2015).unpublished
- Nat'l Air Cargo Grp., Inc. v. United States, 126 Fed. Cl. 281 (Fed. Cl. 2016).published
- Brass v. United States, 127 Fed. Cl. 505 (Fed. Cl. 2016).published
- Sabo v. United States, 127 Fed. Cl. 606 (Fed. Cl. 2016).published
- Nat'l Air Cargo Grp., Inc. v. United States, 127 Fed. Cl. 707 (Fed. Cl. 2016).published
- York Telecom Corp. v. United States, 130 Fed. Cl. 186 (Fed. Cl. 2017).published
- Engle v. United States, No. 16-53 (Fed. Cl. Mar. 8, 2021).published
- Aero Spray, Inc. v. United States, No. 21-1079, 2021 WL 5023371 (Fed. Cl. Oct. 28, 2021).published
- Doe v. United States, 54 Fed. Cl. 337 (Fed. Cl. 2002).published
- Superior Helicopter LLC v. United States, 78 Fed. Cl. 181 (Fed. Cl. 2007).published
- Info. Sciences Corp. v. United States, 78 Fed. Cl. 673 (Fed. Cl. 2007).published
- EOD Tech., Inc. v. United States, 82 Fed. Cl. 12 (Fed. Cl. 2008).published
- Global Comput. Enter., Inc. v. United States, 88 Fed. Cl. 350 (Fed. Cl. 2009).published
- Sharp v. United States, 91 Fed. Cl. 798 (Fed. Cl. 2010).published
- Diversified Maint. Sys., Inc. v. United States, 103 Fed. Cl. 431 (Fed. Cl. 2012).published
- Jacobsen v. West, 13 Vet. App. 35 (Vet. App. 1999).published
At page 1291 Determining court jurisdiction over statutory violation objections11 citing cases[T]he Court of Federal Claims has jurisdiction to entertain an action based on an objection to a violation [of the statute which grants an agency limited CICA override power].
- Csi Aviation, Inc. v. United States, No. 25-1338 (Fed. Cl. May 12, 2026).published([T]he Court of Federal Claims has jurisdiction to entertain an action based on an objection to a violation [of the statute which grants an agency limited CICA override power].)
- Beechcraft Def. Co., Llc v. United States, 111 Fed. Cl. 24 (Fed. Cl. 2013).published
- Charles F. Day & Assocs., LLC. v. United States, 120 Fed. Cl. 767 (Fed. Cl. 2015).published
- Svd Stars II, LLC v. United States, No. 18-846 (Fed. Cl. June 22, 2018).published
- SDS Int'l, Inc. v. United States, 55 Fed. Cl. 363 (Fed. Cl. 2003).published
- PGBA, LLC v. United States, 57 Fed. Cl. 655 (Fed. Cl. 2003).published
- PGBA, LLC v. United States, 60 Fed. Cl. 196 (Fed. Cl. 2004).published
- Altos Fed. Grp., Inc. v. United States, 60 Fed. Cl. 832 (Fed. Cl. 2004).published
- Univ. Rsch. Co. v. United States, 65 Fed. Cl. 500 (Fed. Cl. 2005).published
- Reilly's Wholesale Produce v. United States, 73 Fed. Cl. 705 (Fed. Cl. 2006).published
At page 1287 cited at this page2 citing cases
- Dlh, LLC v. United States, No. 26-803 (Fed. Cl. Sept. 4, 2026).publishedGrp., Inc. v. United States, 185 F.3d 1286, 1287 (Fed. Cir. 1999)).
- Life Sci. Logistics, LLC v. United States, 172 F.4th 1357 (Fed. Cir. 2026).published Grp., Inc. v. United States, 185 F.3d 1286, 1287 (Fed. Cir. 1999); see also 31 U.S.C. § 3553 (c)(1) (“[A] contract may not be awarded in any procurement after the Federal agency has received notice of a protest with respect to such procure…
v.
UNITED STATES, Defendant-Appellee
On the motion of RAMCOR Services Group, Inc. (RAMCOR), an incumbent contractor, the United States Court of Federal Claims issued a preliminary injunction preventing the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) from awarding a contract to a new contractor. RAM-COR subsequently filed an action under the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA), 28 U.S.C. § 2412 (1994), for attorney fees and expenses in obtaining the injunction. The Court of Federal Claims denied RAM-COR’s application, reasoning that it lacked jurisdiction to issue the preliminary injunction and, even if it had jurisdiction, RAM-COR was not entitled to an EAJA award on the merits. See Ramcor Services Group, Inc. v. United States, 41 Fed.Cl. 264 (1998). Although the trial court possessed jurisdiction to issue the injunction, this court affirms its exercise of discretion in denying an EAJA award on the merits.
I.
RAMCOR had a contract with INS to provide maintenance and support services at the Border Patrol Academy in Charleston, South Carolina. Upon discovering the impropriety of its five-year contract to RAMCOR, INS decided to award a new contract. After two six-month extensions of the contract, INS began a new contract award process. In its initial evaluation, INS excluded RAMCOR from the competitive range because of inadequacies in its proposal.
RAMCOR filed a pre-award bid protest with the General Accounting Office (GAO). That protest triggered an automatic stay under the provisions of the Competition in Contracting Act (CICA), 31 U.S.C. §§ 3551-56 (1994), prohibiting INS from awarding a new contract pending a decision on the protest. See 31 U.S.C. § 3553(c)(1). CICA, however, also allows an agency to override the automatic stay if it issues a written finding that “urgent and compelling circumstances which significantly affect interests of the United States will not permit waiting” for the bid protest decision. 31 U.S.C. § 3553(c)(2). INS issued a written “Determination and Finding” setting forth purported urgent and compelling circumstances. Having overridden the stay, INS awarded the contract to OMNI-CUBE. Citing deficiencies in the written findings, RAMCOR sought a preliminary injunction in the Court of Federal Claims to prohibit INS from allowing OMNI-CUBE to act under the newly awarded contract.
The Court of Federal Claims granted the preliminary injunction. In issuing the injunction,, the trial court noted: “[INS has] not established the precipitous decline[*1288] in performance that manifests an urgent and compelling need to override the GAO stay.” RAMCOR Services Group, Inc. v. United States, No. 98-152C (Ct.Fed.Cl. Mar. 9, 1998) (order granting preliminary injunction). The trial court thus reinstated the stay pending a GAO decision. INS moved to quash the injunction, arguing that the Court of Federal Claims lacks subject matter jurisdiction to review an agency’s override of a CICA stay. In a later hearing on the INS motion, the trial court informally suggested that INS should pay part of RAMCOR’s fees. The trial court again noted INS’s failure to produce evidence to substantiate the alleged urgent and compelling reasons for its stay override. A few days later, the GAO decided against RAMCOR on the merits of its bid protest. The Court of Federal Claims, therefore, lifted its injunction and dismissed the action without deciding the pending jurisdictional motion.
Citing its success in obtaining a preliminary injunction, RAMCOR filed an application for attorney fees and expenses under EAJA. That Act allows a party who prevails in a civil action against the United States to recover fees and expenses, subject to certain conditions satisfied by RAMCOR. See 28 U.S.C. § 2412(d). EAJA, however, also specifically requires that civil action to arise in a “court having jurisdiction of such action.” Id. The Court of Federal Claims thus examined its subject matter jurisdiction over the underlying action — the request for injunctive relief from INS’s override of the CICA stay. Only if it possessed this jurisdiction could the trial court make an EAJA award. The trial court concluded that it lacked jurisdiction to issue the preliminary injunction and, accordingly, dismissed the EAJA action.
In the alternative, the trial court also decided the merits of RAMCOR’s case. Once a prevailing party satisfies the EAJA requirements of 28 U.S.C. § 2412(d)(2)(B), the burden shifts to the Government to show that its litigating position was “substantially justified.” Such a showing precludes an award of fees and expenses to a prevailing party. See id. The Court of Federal Claims found that the Government had shown a substantial justification and denied an EAJA award.
RAMCOR appeals. On appeal, RAM-COR contends both that the Administrative Dispute Resolution Act of 1996 (ADRA), 28 U.S.C. § 1491(b), gives the trial court jurisdiction over RAMCOR’s underlying claim, and that the Government was not substantially justified in its litigating position.
II.
The jurisdiction of the Court of Federal Claims is a legal issue reviewed without deference by this court. See Crocker v. United States, 125 F.3d 1475 (Fed.Cir.1997). This court reviews the trial court’s decision not to award fees and costs under the standards of EAJA for an abuse of discretion. See Chiu v. United States, 948 F.2d 711, 713 (Fed.Cir.1991) (citing Pierce v. Underwood, 487 U.S. 552, 557-63, 108 S.Ct. 2541, 101 L.Ed.2d 490 (1988)).
As a predicate to an EAJA award, the awarding court must have had jurisdiction over the civil action in which the applying party prevailed. See 28 U.S.C. § 2412(d)(1)(A). RAMCOR asserts that amendments to 28 U.S.C. § 1491 under the ADRA granted the Court of Federal Claims jurisdiction over RAMCOR’s action for a preliminary injunction. The relevant provision reads, in pertinent part:
Both the Unite[d] States Court of Federal Claims and the district courts of the United States shall have jurisdiction to render judgment on an action by an interested party objecting to a solicitation by a Federal agency for bids or proposals for a proposed contract or to a proposed award or the award of a contract or any alleged violation of statute or regulation in connection with a procurement or a proposed procurement.
28 U.S.C. § 1491(b)(1) (emphasis added). In the underlying action, RAMCOR ob-[*1289] jeeted to INS’s 31 U.S.C. § 3553(c)(2) override of the automatic stay triggered by RAMCOR’s appeal to the GAO, see 31 U.S.C. § 3553(c)(1). This court must decide therefore, whether an objection to a § 3553(c)(2) override can serve as a jurisdictional basis under § 1491(b)(1).
This issue, in turn, requires this court to determine whether § 3553(c)(2) is a statute “in connection with a procurement,” as required by § 1491(b)(1). Because the ADRA covers primarily pre- and post-award bid protests, the trial court determined that RAMCOR could only invoke § 1491(b)(1) jurisdiction by including in its action an attack on the merits of the underlying contract award. RAMCOR had objected only to the § 3553(c)(2) override. Therefore the Court of Federal Claims determined that it lacked jurisdiction. See Ramcor, 41 Fed.Cl. at 269 (“Had plaintiff asked the court to review the merits of the award of the base support services contract it could have based jurisdiction on a violation of section 3553(c).”).
The language of § 1491(b), however, does not require an objection to the actual contract procurement, but only to the “violation of a statute or regulation in connection with a procurement or a proposed procurement.” The operative phrase “in connection with” is very sweeping in scope. As long as a statute has a connection to a procurement proposal, an alleged violation suffices to supply jurisdiction. Section 3553(c)(2) fits comfortably in that broad category. After all, INS’s § 3553(c)(2) override allowed it to procure immediately OMNI-CUBE’s services. Moreover, under that procurement, OMNI-CUBE could have immediately commenced work. Where an agency’s actions under a statute so clearly affect the award and performance of a contract, this court has little difficulty concluding that that statute has a “connection with a procurement.” Cf. CCL, Inc. v. United States, 39 Fed.Cl. 780, 788-89 (1997) (grounding jurisdiction on the final disjunctive phrase of § 1491(b)(1) to adjudicate a contractor’s claim that a procurement required competitive bidding). Although hardly necessary to establish this connection, this court also notes that the subchapter containing § 3553(c)(2) bears the title, “Procurement Protest System.”
The trial court’s reading of § 1491(b) would also render the “violation of statute or regulation” prong of that provision superfluous. If § 1491(b) required a challenge to the merits of the contract award, the contractor would never need to use the “violation” prong but could always rely on other jurisdictional grants in § 1491(b)(1). A challenge on the merits would, for example, amount to an objection to “a proposed award or the award of a contract.” See 28 U.S.C. § 1491(b)(1). When construing a statute, this court must, if at all possible, give effect to all its parts. See Weinberger v. Hynson, Westcott & Dunning, Inc., 412 U.S. 609, 633, 93 S.Ct. 2469, 37 L.Ed.2d 207 (1973). The trial court’s proposed interpretation of § 1491(b)(1) would violate this basic tenet of statutory construction.
The language of § 1491(b)(1) also raises the question of whether INS “violated” § 3553(c)(2). Arguably, INS satisfied the § 3553(c)(2) requirements by issuing a written finding of urgent and compelling circumstances and notifying the GAO. Because § 3553(c)(2) lacks substantive requirements (e.g., that the agency’s finding not be “arbitrary and capricious”), the argument continues, a trial court can only address any deficiencies in the written finding as a violation of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), 5 U.S.C. §§ 701-706 (1994), which explicitly sets forth such substantive requirements. See 5 U.S.C. § 706. Indeed, United States District Courts have reviewed § 3553(c)(2) overrides under the APA. See, e.g., Dairy Maid Dairy, Inc. v. United States, 837 F.Supp. 1370, 1376 (ED.Va.1993) (“[T]he Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. § 701 et seq., governs judicial review of the Army’s decision to override CICA’s automatic stay provisions....”); Universal Shipping Co. v. United States, 652 F.Supp. 668, 675 (D.D.C.1987) (“[The
[*1290] Agency for International Development’s] decision not to stay the Young Contract does not meet the standards of the Administrative Procedure Act and must be set aside as contrary to law.”).
This court is not persuaded that the trial court lacks jurisdiction because INS allegedly only violated the APA, not a procurement statute. The ADRA explicitly imports the APA standards of review into the Court of Federal Claims’ review of agency decisions. See 28 U.S.C. § 1491(b)(4) (“In any action under this subsection, the courts shall review the agency’s decision pursuant to the standards set forth in section 706 of title 5.”). Section 1491(b)(4) thus provides the substantive requirements that § 3553(c)(2) lacks. Stated otherwise, an agency may “violate” § 3553(c)(2) by issuing a written finding that does not meet the substantive review criteria of § 1491(b)(4). An objection to such a violation falls squarely within the jurisdictional ambit of § 1491(b)(1). Although a contractor may instead pursue a district court action under the APA to seek redress for an agency’s deficient § 3553(c)(2) override, that remedy does not alter the jurisdiction of the Court of Federal Claims. The ADRA, by its terms, provides alternative avenues for judicial review.
Accordingly, this court determines that 28 U.S.C. § 1491(b)(1) grants the trial court jurisdiction over an objection to a violation of 31 U.S.C. § 3553(c)(2). Therefore, this court vacates that portion of the trial court’s decision to the contrary.
III.
Wisely resolving all issues potentially before it, the Court of Federal Claims determined that RAMCOR was not entitled to an EAJA award because the Government was substantially justified in its litigating position. Although INS had lost the underlying action, that outcome does not alone show that its position had no substantial justification. In other words, EAJA is not a mandatory fee-shifting device. See Gavette v. Office of Personnel Management & Dept. of the Treasury, 808 F.2d 1456, 1465 (Fed.Cir.1986). Regardless of the outcome, the trial court had the duty to determine whether the INS litigating position had a “reasonable basis in law and fact.” See Pierce, 487 U.S. at 566, 108 S.Ct. 2541. That determination, in turn, obligated the trial court to “look at the entirety of the government’s conduct and make a judgment call whether the government’s overall position had a reasonable basis in both law and fact.” Chiu, 948 F.2d at 715.
In this case, the Court of Federal Claims found “legitimate factual reasons supporting INS’s desire to override the GAO stay, and allow the successor contract to be awarded immediately.” These reasons included “severe” complaints about RAMCOR’s performance which raised “substantial questions” about the “quality of the plaintiffs performance.” Ramcor, 41 Fed.Cl. at 271-72. In addition, the Border Patrol Academy “was facing significant problems that could only be alleviated by awarding the successor contract as soon as possible.” Id. Specifically, the Academy expected the imminent arrival of 200 new students at a time when its staff was already “stressed to the breaking point.” Id. These findings substantiate to some degree the urgency of INS’s litigating position.
In its weighing of the justification for the INS position, the trial court also considered the Government’s belated presentation of its jurisdictional motion. Noting the compressed time frame for injunction actions and stressing that the jurisdictional issue was one of first impression, the Court of Federal Claims concluded that the defense was both “credible” and “substantially justified.”
The trial judge enjoys considerable discretion to determine eligibility for an EAJA award. See Chiu, 948 F.2d at 715 n. 4. Absent a serious error in judgment, this court will not re-weigh the factors considered by the trial court. See id. Having fully considered the trial court’s[*1291] EAJA analysis and RAMCOR’s arguments on appeal, this court detects no serious error in judgment or abuse of discretion. Accordingly, this court affirms the denial of an EAJA award on the merits.
IV.
This court has determined that the Court of Federal Claims has jurisdiction to entertain an action based on an objection to a violation of 31 U.S.C. § 3553(c)(2). In " this case, however, that court did not abuse its discretion in denying an EAJA award on the merits. Therefore, this court affirms the judgment.
COSTS
Each party shall bear its own costs.
AFFIRMED.