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Government Contracts

Certified Claim under Contracts Disputes Act

Preparing a Contract Disputes Act certified claim traditionally requires hours of manual work: reviewing contract documents, researching FAR requirements, ensuring proper certification language, calculating damages, and compiling supporting evidence. A single error in certification or missing regulatory citation can invalidate the entire claim or delay resolution for months.

Automation ROI

Time savings at a glance

Manual workflow24 hoursAverage time your team spends by hand
With CaseMark15 minutesDelivery time with CaseMark automation
EfficiencySave 32.5x time with CaseMark

The Problem

Preparing a Contract Disputes Act certified claim requires meticulous attention to FAR requirements, precise damage calculations, and comprehensive legal analysis. Manual preparation takes days of attorney time, risks missing critical certification requirements, and often results in incomplete documentation that delays contracting officer decisions.

The CaseMark Solution

CaseMark automates the entire CDA claim drafting process by analyzing your contract documents, extracting relevant facts, calculating damages with proper methodology, and generating a fully compliant certified claim with all required elements. The AI ensures proper certification language, complete legal citations, and organized exhibits that meet FAR Part 33 standards.

Key benefits

How CaseMark automations transform your workflow

Automatically extracts contract terms and dispute facts from uploaded documents

Ensures FAR-compliant certification language for claims over $100,000

Cites current CDA legal precedents and regulatory requirements from official sources

Generates accurate quantum calculations with supporting documentation

Reduces claim preparation time from days to minutes while maintaining compliance

What you'll receive

Header and Identification
Contract Summary
Statement of Claim
Factual Basis
Legal Basis
Quantum and Damages
Certification Statement
Attachments and Supporting Documents

Document requirements

Required

  • Original Contract and Modifications
  • Correspondence Related to Dispute
  • Financial Records and Cost Documentation

Optional

  • Project Documentation
  • Photographs and Visual Evidence
  • Expert Reports and Analyses
  • Schedule Documentation

Perfect for

Government contractors filing CDA claims
Contract administrators handling federal disputes
Construction firms with government contracts
Government contracts attorneys
Claims consultants and specialists

Also useful for

This workflow is applicable across multiple practice areas and use cases

Government contractors often pursue commercial litigation when CDA claims are denied or when disputes involve mixed public-private contracts requiring similar claim documentation and quantum calculations.

The workflow's claim drafting, factual basis documentation, quantum calculations, and supporting evidence compilation are directly transferable to commercial contract disputes beyond government contracts.

Litigation General78% relevant

Any contract-based litigation requires similar claim structure, factual basis documentation, legal precedent citation, and damages calculation that this workflow automates.

The core components—statement of claim, factual/legal basis, quantum calculations, and supporting documentation—are fundamental to most litigation matters involving contractual disputes.

Construction and development disputes in commercial real estate often involve government entities or require similar certified claims for cost overruns, delays, and contract modifications.

Construction firms with government contracts are a target persona, and the workflow's handling of project documentation, cost records, and schedule analysis applies to commercial real estate disputes.

Real estate litigation involving construction defects, contractor disputes, or development agreements requires similar claim preparation with quantum calculations and supporting documentation.

The workflow's ability to extract contract terms, calculate damages, and organize supporting evidence (photos, expert reports, financial records) directly supports real estate litigation claim preparation.

Frequently asked questions

Q

What is the certification requirement for CDA claims?

A

For claims exceeding $100,000, the Contract Disputes Act requires a certification signed by a senior company official with authority to bind the contractor. The certification must use specific statutory language certifying that the claim is made in good faith, supporting data is accurate and complete, and the amount requested accurately reflects the contract adjustment. CaseMark automatically includes the proper certification language and ensures compliance with 41 U.S.C. § 7103(b)(1).

Q

How long does the contracting officer have to issue a final decision?

A

For claims over $100,000, the contracting officer must issue a final decision within 60 days or notify the contractor of the time within which a decision will be issued. For claims of $100,000 or less, the decision must be issued within 60 days. If no decision is issued within the required timeframe, the contractor may treat the failure as a deemed denial and appeal to the appropriate board of contract appeals or Court of Federal Claims.

Q

What types of damages can be claimed under the CDA?

A

CDA claims can include direct costs (additional labor, materials, equipment, subcontractor costs), indirect costs (overhead, G&A expenses calculated using contract rates or accepted methodologies), delay-related costs (extended field office overhead, home office overhead using methods like Eichleay formula), and productivity losses (calculated using measured mile analysis or industry studies). CaseMark helps organize and calculate each category with proper supporting documentation and accepted methodologies.

Q

What documentation should I include with my CDA claim?

A

Essential documentation includes the original contract and all modifications, correspondence between parties regarding the dispute, contemporaneous project records (daily reports, logs, schedules), financial records supporting all cost elements (invoices, payroll, accounting ledgers), and any expert reports or technical analyses. CaseMark automatically creates an organized exhibit index and ensures every factual assertion is supported by referenced documentary evidence.

Q

Can I appeal if the contracting officer denies my claim?

A

Yes, contractors have the right to appeal an adverse final decision to the appropriate board of contract appeals or to the United States Court of Federal Claims within 90 days of receiving the contracting officer's final decision. The appeal must be filed within this statutory deadline to preserve jurisdiction. CaseMark includes language in the claim that expressly preserves all appeal rights under 41 U.S.C. § 7104.