Analysis of Government Accountability Office bid protests in Air Force source selections over the past two decades

To assess the Air Force's bid protest experience, the authors analyzed databases of Air Force procurement and protest activity and estimated statistical models to identify factors contributing to protest activity and outcomes. Specifically, they reviewed other studies of bid protest activity; assembled data on Air Force protests contained in the Protest and Congressional Tracking System (PACTS) database; gathered and assembled information on Air Force procurements contained in the Individual Contracting Action Report (form DD350) and the Federal Procurement Data System / Next Generation (FPDS-NG); performed tabulations to characterize the Air Force's experience with bid protests; and estimated statistical models that rely on the PACTS, DD350, and FPDS-NG databases. The likelihood of bidders' pursuing protests is shown to have been declining at a rate of about 8-9 percent per year, after controlling for other factors. This supports the authors' finding that the Air Force's experience with bid protests has been improving over time.