Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 108 Part 4.djvu/659

 PUBLIC LAW 103-355—OCT. 13, 1994 108 STAT. 3293 "(C) The board may dismiss a protest that the board determines— "(i) is frivolous; "(ii) has been brought or pursued in bad faith; or "(iii) does not state on its face a vaUd basis for protest.". SEC. 1435. AWARD OF COSTS. (a) AWARD.—Section 111(f)(5) of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (40 U.S.C. 759(f)(5)) is amended by striking out subparagraph (C) and inserting in lieu thereof the following: "(C) Whenever the board makes such a determination, it may, in accordance with section 1304 of title 31, United States Code, further declare an appropriate prevailing party to be entitled to the cost of filing ana pursuing the protest (including reasonable attorneys' fees and consultant and expert witness fees), and bid and proposal preparation. However, no party (other than a small business concern (within the meaning of section 3(a) of the Small Business Act)) may be declared entitled to costs for consultants and expert witness fees that exceed the highest rate of compensation for expert witnesses paid by the Federal Government, and no party (other than a small business concern (within the meaning of section 3(a) of the Small Business Act)) may be declared entitled to attorneys' fees that exceed $150 per hour unless the board, on a case by case basis, determines that an increase in the cost of living or a special factor, such as the limited availability of qualified attorneys for the proceedings involved, justifies a higher fee.. (b) DEFINITION OF PREVAILING PARTY. —Section 111(f)(9) of such Act (40 U.S.C. 759(f)(9)) is amended by adding at the end the following: "(C) The term 'prevailing part/, with respect to a determination of the board under paragraph (5)(B) that a challenged action of a Federal agency violates a statute or regulation or the conditions of a delegation of procurement authority issued pursuant to this section, means a party that demonstrated such violation.". SEC. 1436. DISMISSAL AGREEMENTS. Section 111(f)(5) of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (40 U.S.C. 759(f)(5)), as amended by section 1435, is further amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs: "(D) Any agreement that provides for the dismissal of a protest and involves a direct or indirect expenditure of appropriated funds shall be submitted to the board and shall be made a part of the public record (subject to any protective order considered appropriate by the board) before dismissal of the protest. If a Federal agency is a party to a settlement agreement, the submission of the agreement to the board shall include a memorandum, signed by the contracting officer concerned, that describes in detail the procurement, the grounds for protest, the Federal Government's position regarding the grounds for protest, the terms of the settlement, and the agency's position regarding the propriety of the award or proposed award of the contract at issue in the protest. "(E) Payment of amounts due from an agency under subparagraph (C) or under the terms of a settlement agreement under subparagraph (D) shall be made from the appropriation made by section 1304 of title 31, United States Code, for the pa3naient of

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