The Postal Service Board of Contract Appeals (PSBCA) is a neutral, independent tribunal with the authority to hear and decide any appeal from a decision of a contracting officer of the United States Postal Service (USPS) or the Postal Regulatory Commission related to a contract with either agency.[1][2] The PSBCA is within the USPS Judicial Officer Department, with the Judicial Officer also serving as the PSBCA Chairman.[3] The PSBCA’s jurisdiction over contract disputes parallels that of the United States Court of Federal Claims[4] with the contractor generally having the option of filing an appeal with either the PSBCA or the court.[5]

The PSBCA, including its predecessor, the Post Office Department Board of Contract Appeals (PODBCA), has been in existence since at least 1959.[6] However, amendments to the Contract Disputes Act of 1978,[7] effective in January 2007, expressly established a Postal Service Board of Contract Appeals and specified its jurisdiction.[8]

Decisions of the PSBCA since 1986 may generally be found at the USPS website.[9] Those decisions and earlier decisions of the PSBCA and PODBCA may be found at commercial legal research services, such as Westlaw and LexisNexis.

See also

References

  1. ^ 41 U.S.C. § 7105;
  2. ^ 39 CFR 955.1
  3. ^ Judicial Officer Department
  4. ^ 41 U.S.C. § 7104
  5. ^ 41 U.S.C. §§ 7103–7104
  6. ^ See, The Appeal of Charwill Contracting Corp., PODBCA No. 1, 1959 WL 663
  7. ^ 41 U.S.C. §§ 7101–7109
  8. ^ 41 U.S.C. § 7105
  9. ^ PSBCA Decisions
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