Global Best Practice - Protests

A protest is an objection that is written by an interested party to a solicitation or an award of contract with the intent of receiving a remedial result. In this context, an interested party refers to a bidder (actual or prospective) whose direct economic interest would be directly impacted by a contract award or the failure of securing a contract award. It's essential for procurement to establish and document a protest policy for the entity because of legal concerns. A procurement professional should ensure that the entity's legal department or legal counsel is aware of protest policy. The entity's legal team may want to advise on action regarding protests. When developing a protest policy, the procurement team and stakeholders should employ procurement best practices that promote accountability and transparency while maximizing competition. This practice outlines the reasons why procurement needs to establish a protest policy along with the elements that need to be considered when writing and filing a protest. It also outlines the process procurement professionals should take to file a protest.