Analysis of contract disputes resolved by the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (ASBCA) between January 1998 and June 1999

Abstract

The primary purpose of this thesis is to analyze recent Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (ASBCA) decisions relating to disputes in United States Government supply, services, and construction contracts in order to identity potential weaknesses in both Government and contractor organizations. In particular, the researcher is interested in Department of Defense (DoD) contracting norms and execution practices. This thesis identifies categories of contract disputes, as well as patterns of contract administration weaknesses, of both the Government and the contractor. The aim is to bring these dispute categories and contracting weaknesses to the attention of the acquisition professional in order to promote better administration of contracts in the future, with the potential effect of reducing the number of litigated contract disputes between the Government and commercial supply, services, and construction providers. Finally, this research effort offers recommendations to Contracting Officers and contracting activities to help provide for more effective and efficient contract execution and administration within the Government and, in particular, the Department of Defense.