(a) Scope. The rules of this chapter govern cases filed with the Board on or after September 17, 2018, and all further proceedings in cases then pending, unless the Board decides that using the rules in this part in a case pending on their effective date would be inequitable or infeasible. The Board may alter these procedures on its own initiative or on request of a party to promote the just, informal, expeditious, and inexpensive resolution of a case.

(b) Definitions.

Appeal; appellant. “Appeal” means a contract dispute filed with the Board under the Contract Disputes Act (CDA), 41 U.S.C. 7101-7109, or under a disputes clause in a non-CDA contract that allows for Board review. An “appellant” is the contractor filing an appeal.

Appeal file. “Appeal file” means the submissions to the Board under Rule 4 (48 CFR 6101.4).

Application; applicant. “Application” means a submission to the Board under Rule 30 (48 CFR 6101.30) of a request for an award of fees and other expenses under the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA), 5 U.S.C. 504, or another provision authorizing such an award. An “applicant” is a party filing an application.

Attorney. “Attorney” means a person licensed to practice law in a State, commonwealth, or territory of the United States or in the District of Columbia.

Board judge; judge. “Board judge” or “judge” means a member of the Board.

Business days and hours. The Board's business days are days other than Saturdays, Sundays, Federal holidays, days on which the Board is required to close before 4:30 p.m., or days on which the Board does not open for any reason, such as inclement weather. The Board's business hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

Case. “Case” means an appeal, petition, or application.

Clerk of the Board. The “Clerk” of the Board receives filings, dockets cases, and prepares official correspondence for the Board.

Efile; efiling. The Clerk accepts electronic filings (“efilings”), meaning documents submitted through the Board's email system (“efiled”). Parties may efile documents by sending an email (usually with attachments) to cbca.efile@cbca.gov, except for documents that are classified or submitted in camera or under protective order (Rule 9). Efiling occurs upon receipt by the Board's email server, except that attachments must be in .pdf format and 18 megabytes (MB) or smaller or they will be rejected.

Electronically stored information. “Electronically stored information” means information created, manipulated, communicated, stored, and best used in digital form with computer hardware and software.

Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA), 5 U.S.C. 504. This statute governs applications for awards of fees and other expenses in certain cases.

Facsimile (fax) transmissions. The Board sends and accepts facsimile transmissions. A document is filed by fax at the time the Board receives all of it. The Board does not automatically extend filing deadlines if its fax machine is busy or otherwise unavailable.

Filing. A notice of appeal or application is filed upon the earlier of its receipt by the Clerk or, if mailed through the United States Postal Service (USPS), the date it is mailed to the Board. A USPS postmark is prima facie evidence of a mailing date. Any other document is filed upon receipt by the Clerk.

Party. “Party” means an appellant, applicant, petitioner, or respondent.

Petition; petitioner. “Petition” means a request that the Board direct a contracting officer to issue a written decision on a claim. A “petitioner” is a party submitting a petition.

Receipt. The Board deems a party's “receipt” of a document to occur upon the earlier of the emailing of the document to the party's email address of record (without notice of delivery failure) or the party's possession of a document sent by other means.

Respondent. A “respondent” is the government agency whose decision, action, or inaction is the subject of an appeal, petition, or application.

(c) Construction. The Board construes this part to promote the just, informal, expeditious, and inexpensive resolution of every case. The Board may apply principles of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (28 U.S.C. App.) to resolve issues not covered by this part.

(d) Panels. The Board assigns each case to a panel of three judges, one of whom presides. The presiding judge sets the case schedule, oversees discovery, and conducts conferences, hearings, and other proceedings. The presiding judge may without participation by other panel members decide any appeal under the small claims procedure of Rule 52, any nondispositive motion, or any petition, and may dismiss a case as permitted by Rule 12(c) (48 CFR 6101.12(c)). The Board decides all other matters by majority vote of a panel unless the full Board decides a matter under Rule 28 (48 CFR 6101.28). Only panel and full Board decisions are precedential.

(e) Location and addresses. The Board's physical and mailing address is 1800 M Street NW, 6th Floor, Washington, DC 20036. The mailing address is 1800 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20405. The Clerk's telephone number is (202) 606-8800. The Clerk's fax number is (202) 606-0019. The Clerk's email address for efiling is cbca.efile@cbca.gov. The Board's website is http://www.cbca.gov.

(f) Clerk's office hours. The Clerk's office is open to the public and for physical deliveries during business hours (Rule 1(b) (48 CFR 6101.1(b)). Efilings received after midnight are considered filed the next business day. The Clerk's office is closed when the Board's physical address is closed for any reason, including any closure of the Federal Government in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area.

[83 FR 41010, Aug. 17, 2018, as amended at 85 FR 5335, Jan. 30, 2020]