On January 5, 2016, the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals (CBCA) issued a decision that is another in a line of decisions that erodes the Federal Circuit’s holding in M. Maropakis Carpentry, Inc. v. United States, 609 F.3d 1323 (Fed. Cir. 2010). In Maropakis, the Federal Circuit held that certain contractor defenses to government claims are actually contractor claims under the Contract Disputes Act’s (CDA), meaning they must first be submitted to the contracting officer for decision and cannot be raised for the first time in litigation. Since that decision, both the Court of Federal Claims (COFC) and the boards of contract appeals have narrowed the scope of the Federal Circuit’s decision in Maropakis. See, e.g., Total Eng’g, Inc. v. United States, 120 Fed. Cl. 10 (2015) (The CDA does not require the contractor to jump through such an extra hoop and refile its defense to a government claim as a so-called contractor’s ‘claim’ where it is not seeking any separate monetary relief or contract adjustment.). For more information on the Total Engineering case, see our previous post here.
Most recently, in Jane Mobley Assoc., Inc., v. Gen. Serv. Admin., CBCA 2878, 2016 WL 73878, the CBCA explained the difference between an affirmative CDA claim and a defense to a government claim:
An affirmative CDA claim is an attempt to modify or adjust the contract to counter the liquidated damages assessment (e.g., compensable time extensions as a result of government delays). A factual defense to a liquidated damages assessment merely serves to attack the assessment itself (e.g., the government’s assessment was incorrect because the delay was excused as a result of government delays). Plainly stated, a CDA claim seeks affirmative relief under the contract through a contract adjustment; a factual defense only attempts to reduce or eliminate the liquidated damages assessment.
Id. (emphasis original) (citations omitted).
In distinguishing (and limiting) Maropakis, the CBCA stated:
In the CDA context, if we were to apply the rule of Maropakis to any defense raised by a contractor in response to a government claim that is not in the nature of an adjustment of contract terms or not seeking separate monetary relief, the “drastic consequence” could well be that the contractor’s appeal is never able to be heard on the merits. This is contrary to the intent and purpose of the CDA.
Id. (emphasis original).
This holding, and the steady departure from Maropakis, is beneficial for contractors because it promotes efficient adjudication in defending against government claims. Nevertheless, contractors should remain cognizant of the Federal Circuit’s holding in Maropakis and assess, on a case-by-case basis, whether their defense qualifies as a “claim” under the CDA.
