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Title 31 — Money and FinanceRelease 119-73

§3555 Regulations; authority of Comptroller General to verify assertions

Title 31 › Subtitle SUBTITLE III— - FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT › Chapter CHAPTER 35— - ACCOUNTING AND COLLECTION › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER V— - PROCUREMENT PROTEST SYSTEM › § 3555

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Comptroller General must make rules so protests are decided quickly, including a faster option allowed under section 3554(a)(2). The rules must say that the protest process cannot be held up just because a party misses a filing deadline. When counting time limits, do not count the day that starts the time period. Count the last day unless it falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday. If a filing is due at the Government Accountability Office or a federal agency and that office is closed for weather or other reasons, use the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday. The Comptroller General must run an electronic system so people can file protests and get documents online. The Comptroller General may charge each filer a fee to run the system, set and update a fee schedule, and keep the fees in a separate GAO account. Those funds may only be used to build and run the system and are not limited by fiscal year. The Comptroller General may use available authorities under chapter 7 and this chapter to check the truth of statements made in protests.

Full Legal Text

Title 31, §3555

Money and Finance — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Comptroller General shall prescribe such procedures as may be necessary to the expeditious decision of protests under this subchapter, including procedures for accelerated resolution of protests under the express option authorized by section 3554(a)(2) of this title. Such procedures shall provide that the protest process may not be delayed by the failure of a party to make a filing within the time provided for the filing.
(b)The procedures shall provide that, in the computation of any period described in this subchapter—
(1)the day of the act, event, or default from which the designated period of time begins to run not be included; and
(2)the last day after such act, event, or default be included, unless—
(A)such last day is a Saturday, a Sunday, or a legal holiday; or
(B)in the case of a filing of a paper at the Government Accountability Office or a Federal agency, such last day is a day on which weather or other conditions cause the closing of the Government Accountability Office or Federal agency, in which event the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday shall be included.
(c)(1)The Comptroller General shall establish and operate an electronic filing and document dissemination system under which, in accordance with procedures prescribed by the Comptroller General—
(A)a person filing a protest under this subchapter may file the protest through electronic means; and
(B)all documents and information required with respect to the protest may be disseminated and made available to the parties to the protest through electronic means.
(2)(A)The Comptroller General may require each person who files a protest under this subchapter to pay a fee to support the establishment and operation of the electronic system under this subsection, without regard to whether or not the person uses the system with respect to the protest.
(B)The Comptroller General shall establish (and from time to time shall update) a schedule setting forth the amount of the fee to be paid under subparagraph (A).
(3)(A)The Comptroller General shall maintain a separate account among the accounts of the Government Accountability Office for the electronic system under this subsection, and shall deposit all amounts received as fees under paragraph (2) into the account.
(B)Amounts in the account maintained under this paragraph shall be available to the Comptroller General, without fiscal year limitation, solely to establish and operate the electronic system under this subsection.
(d)The Comptroller General may use any authority available under chapter 7 of this title and this chapter to verify assertions made by parties in protests under this subchapter.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2014—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 113–76 amended subsec. (c) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (c) read as follows: “The Comptroller General may prescribe procedures for the electronic filing and dissemination of documents and information required under this subchapter. In prescribing such procedures, the Comptroller General shall consider the ability of all parties to achieve electronic access to such documents and records.” 2004—Subsec. (b)(2)(B). Pub. L. 108–271 substituted “Government Accountability Office” for “General Accounting Office” in two places. 1994—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 103–355, § 1404(c), substituted “The Comptroller General” for “Not later than January 15, 1985, the Comptroller General”. Subsecs. (b) to (d). Pub. L. 103–355, § 1404(a), (b), added subsecs. (b) and (c) and redesignated former subsec. (b) as (d).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1994 AmendmentFor

Effective Date

and applicability of amendment by Pub. L. 103–355, see section 10001 of Pub. L. 103–355, set out as a note under section 8752 of Title 10, Armed Forces.

Effective Date

Section applicable with respect to any protest filed after Jan. 14, 1985, see section 2751(b) of Pub. L. 98–369, set out as a note under section 4751 of Title 10, Armed Forces.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

31 U.S.C. § 3555

Title 31 — Money and Finance

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73