[Comments on H.R. 4086]
Highlights
In response to a congressional request, GAO commented on H.R. 4086, which would vest the General Services Administration's Board of Contract Appeals with the authority to decide any bid protests. GAO believes that it is too soon to consider expanding the jurisdiction of the Board. In vesting the Board with jurisdiction over automatic data processing procurement protests, Congress has already provided that its jurisdiction will expire on January 15, 1988, and H.R. 4086 would abbreviate the trial period in favor of an immediate expansion of the Board's jurisdiction. Allowing the Board to function for at least 1 more year before Congress considers whether to continue or expand its jurisdiction would yield a more accurate picture of its performance based on a greater number of cases decided by the Board and reviewed by the Court of Appeals.