Update to Statutory Citations and Internet Address in Bid Protest Regulations

What it does

• •Updates statutory citations in GAO's Bid Protest Regulations to reflect the recodification of section 2304c of title 10 U.S.C. to section 3406 of title 10 U.S.C., specifically changing references in 4 CFR 21.5(l) from the old citation to the new one.
• •Updates the internet address for GAO's Electronic Protest Docketing System (EPDS) in 4 CFR 21.0(f) to https://epds.gao.gov.
• •Confirms GAO's bid protest jurisdiction authority under 31 U.S.C. 3551-3557 by revising the authority citation for Part 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

Why it matters

• •The rule ensures GAO's regulations align with the current U.S. Code structure following the 2021 statutory recodification, preventing confusion or misapplication of outdated legal citations.
• •The updated EPDS website address ensures parties filing bid protests can accurately access GAO's electronic system for submitting and tracking protests.

Who is affected

• •Federal contractors and entities filing bid protests with the Government Accountability Office.
• •Federal agencies conducting procurements subject to GAO's bid protest jurisdiction.

What happens next

The rule became effective on November 13, 2026, and requires no further action as this is a final rule reflecting technical corrections only.