{"id":904067,"date":"2025-03-11T16:16:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-11T22:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?p=904067"},"modified":"2025-03-11T16:16:09","modified_gmt":"2025-03-11T22:16:09","slug":"federal-contracts-what-if-the-government-doesnt-pay-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/federal-contracts-what-if-the-government-doesnt-pay-you\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Do If the Government Doesn\u2019t Pay You as a Federal Contractor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Aron C. Beezley &amp; Gabrielle A. Sprio | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.buildsmartbradley.com\/2025\/03\/what-to-do-if-the-government-doesnt-pay-you-as-a-federal-contractor\/?utm_source=Bradley+Arant+Boult+Cummings+LLP+-+BuildSmart&amp;utm_campaign=a4c3dd9bee-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_b504caf31b-a4c3dd9bee-78863422\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">BuildSmart<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Winning a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/termination-for-convenience-if-contract-wrongfully-terminated\/\">federal contract<\/a> can be a significant opportunity, but what happens if the government doesn\u2019t pay you on time \u2014 or at all? While the federal government is typically a reliable payer, delays or disputes can arise, especially in today\u2019s political climate. If you\u2019re facing non-payment under your contract, here\u2019s what you need to do:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Review Your Contract<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Start by carefully reviewing the payment terms in your contract.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Check deadlines, invoicing requirements, and any clauses related to payment disputes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Government contracts generally follow the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), which provides guidelines for how and when payments must be made.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Follow Up with the Contracting Officer<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Your contracting officer is your primary point of contact.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If a payment is late, send a formal inquiry to confirm the status of your invoice.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sometimes, delays result from administrative errors that can be resolved quickly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If a formal inquiry from the contractor doesn\u2019t do the trick, then consider having your attorney contact agency counsel about the matter.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Submit a Proper Invoice<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Ensure that your invoice meets all federal requirements, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Proper formatting per FAR 32.905<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Correct payment information<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Invoice submission through the designated payment portal (such as Wide Area Workflow (WAWF) for DoD contracts)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>File a Claim Under the Contract Disputes Act<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If informal efforts fail, you can file a formal claim under the Contract Disputes Act (CDA).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For a formal claim, the contractor should prepare (usually with the assistance of legal counsel) and submit a written claim to the contracting officer, clearly stating the amount owed, the basis for payment, citing relevant law, and certifying the claim, if appropriate.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has made clear, \u201ca \u2018pure breach\u2019 [of contract] claim accrues when a [contractor] has done all [they] must do to establish [their] payment and the [government] does not pay.\u201d&nbsp;<em>Brighton Village Assoc. v. United States<\/em>, 52 F.3d 1056, 1060 (Fed. Cir. 1995).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The contracting officer has 60 days to respond to the claim.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Escalate the Issue<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If the contracting officer denies your claim or fails to respond, you have the right to appeal to:<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Civilian Board of Contract Appeals (CBCA) for civilian contracts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (ASBCA) for defense contracts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The U.S. Court of Federal Claims for both civilian and defense contracts<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Unfortunately, non-payment by the government is becoming more common lately.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>However, understanding your contract, maintaining proper documentation, communicating with your contracting officer, and following dispute resolution procedures can help you recover your rightful payments.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>When one of your cases is in need of a construction expert, estimates, insurance appraisal or umpire services in defect or insurance disputes &#8211; please call Advise &amp; Consult, Inc. at 888.684.8305, or email <a href=\"mailto:experts@adviseandconsult.net\">experts@adviseandconsult.net<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Republished with permission. The article, \u201cWhat to Do If the Government Doesn\u2019t Pay You as a Federal Contractor\u201d was originally published on BuildSmart by Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP. Copyright 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Aron C. Beezley &amp; Gabrielle A. Sprio | BuildSmart Winning a federal contract can be a significant opportunity, but what happens if the government doesn\u2019t pay you on time \u2014 or at all? While the federal government is typically a reliable payer, delays or disputes can arise, especially in today\u2019s political climate. If you\u2019re facing&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/federal-contracts-what-if-the-government-doesnt-pay-you\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">What to Do If the Government Doesn\u2019t Pay You as a Federal Contractor<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[9],"tags":[9895,224,11575],"class_list":["post-904067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-construction-contracts","tag-advise-consult","tag-construction-contract","tag-federal-construction-contracts","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What to Do If the Government Doesn\u2019t Pay You as a Federal Contractor - Advise &amp; 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