In 1924, the first contractor complaints about federal agency procurement decisions began landing on desks at the U.S. General Accounting Office, says federal-contracts guru Daniel I. Gordon. Ninety years later, handling bid protests is a major mission for the now-renamed U.S. Government Accountability Office, as well as for arbiters at the state and municipal levels, and for complainant attorneys in a public-sector contracting arena that has become more complex, costly and highly competitive.
But while some question protestors' motives—even as disputes have added delay and cost to projects—others say they keep public procurement honest, efficient and fair.