§ 1500.16 Notice of receipt of Dispute to Affected Entity.

Within 15 calendar days of receiving the Dispute, the DDO will provide the Affected Entity a written notice, sent electronically, acknowledging receipt of the Dispute.

(a) Timely Disputes. If the Dispute was timely submitted, the notice of acknowledgement may identify any additional information or documentation that is required for a thorough consideration of the Dispute. The notice should provide no more than 30 calendar days for the Affected Entity to provide the requested information. If it is not feasible to identify such information or documentation in the notice the DDO may request it at a later point in time prior to issuance of the Dispute decision.

(b) Untimely Disputes. If the DDO did not receive the Dispute within the required 30-day period, or any extension of it, the DDO will notify the Affected Entity that the Dispute is being dismissed as untimely and the Agency Decision of the AO becomes final. The dismissal of an untimely Dispute constitutes the final agency action. In appropriate circumstances, the DDO may, as a matter of discretion, consider an untimely Dispute if doing so would be in the interests of fairness and equity.

[85 FR 61575, Sept. 30, 2020]