If a Contracting Officer receives an agency protest 8 days after contract award, what must the Contracting Officer do?

When a contracting officer receives an agency protest within the appropriate timeframe, it is imperative to take specific actions to ensure compliance with regulations and fairness in the contracting process. In this scenario, receiving an agency protest 8 days after contract award necessitates immediate action to suspend performance.

Suspending performance is critical to prevent further expenditure of resources or actions that could complicate the resolution of the protest. By pausing performance, the contracting officer maintains the integrity of the procurement process while the protest is being reviewed. This step allows for a thorough examination of the claims presented in the protest and ensures that any potential issues can be addressed without further commitment to the awarded contract.

Consulting with legal counsel is certainly advisable during this process; however, the immediate action required upon receiving the protest is to suspend performance. This ensures that the contracting officer can adequately assess the situation and engage in a fair review without rushing into decisions that could affect all parties involved.

Therefore, the obligation to suspend performance takes precedence in this scenario to protect the integrity of the contracting process and allow for a proper evaluation of the protest.