Kanag'Iq Construction Co. v. United States

51 Fed. Cl. 38, 2001 U.S. Claims LEXIS 222, 2001 WL 1513180
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedNovember 28, 2001
DocketNo. 96-768C
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 51 Fed. Cl. 38 (Kanag'Iq Construction Co. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Federal Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kanag'Iq Construction Co. v. United States, 51 Fed. Cl. 38, 2001 U.S. Claims LEXIS 222, 2001 WL 1513180 (uscfc 2001).

Opinion

OPINION

MILLER, Judge.

This case is before the court after transfer on November 1, 2001; briefing on defendant’s pending motion for partial dismissal and for partial summary judgment was completed on April 29, 1999. The issues for decision are 1) whether certain of plaintiffs claims were timely filed under the Contract Disputes Act of 1978, 41 U.S.C. § 609(a)(3) (1994) (the “CDA”), which requires that “[a]ny action ... shall be filed within twelve months from the date of the receipt by the contractor of the decision of the contracting officer concerning the claim;” and 2) whether certain of plaintiffs other claims are barred by accord and satisfaction. Although defendant addresses the first issue through a motion pursuant to RCFC 12(b)(1), dismissal for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, the Federal Circuit has held that the CDA’s one-year limitations period does not implicate the court’s subject matter jurisdiction, but has suggested that it goes to the validity of the claim upon which relief is sought. Borough of Alpine v. United States, 923 F.2d 170, 171-72 (Fed.Cir.1991); see also Policy Analysis Co. v. United States, 50 Fed.Cl. 626, 627, 2001 U.S. Claims LEXIS 182, at *1 (2001). Accordingly, defendant’s motion will be treated as under RCFC 12(c), and, as defendant has submitted materials outside the pleadings, its motion, in turn, will be considered under RCFC 56. See RCFC 12(c); Schy v. Susquehanna Corp., 419 F.2d 1112, 1115-16 (7th Cir.1970); Policy Analysis, 50 Fed.Cl. [41]*41at 627, 2001 U.S. Claims LEXIS 182, at *2. Argument is deemed unnecessary.

FACTS

The following facts are undisputed, unless noted otherwise. Kanag’Iq Construction Company (“plaintiff’) entered into Contract No. 109-80-0020 with the United States Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) on May 19, 1989, to perform architectural and electrical repairs and renovations on an Indian Health Service Building in Sitka, Alaska. During the course of contract performance, the contract was modified nine times. Three of the modifications were unilateral, and six were bilateral. Defendant’s motion involves one of the unilateral modifications and each of the bilateral modifications.

The unilateral modification at issue, Modification No. 3, concerns the parties’ attempts to address the presence of asbestos in a crawl space through which the contract called for the routing of conduit and feeder cables. On June 22, 1989, the contracting officer’s representative (the “COR”) held a preconstruction meeting with plaintiff, and advised plaintiff of the presence of asbestos in the crawl space. On August 15, 1989, at HHS’s request, plaintiff submitted a proposal to effect a major rerouting of the electrical work from the crawl space at an additional cost of $18,330.88. HHS rejected this proposal as too costly. On August 29, 1989, HHS proposed a minor rerouting that would continue to run the electrical equipment through the crawl space, but that would require HHS to provide the labor for installation of the conduit in the asbestos-contaminated area, with plaintiff supplying the materials. Plaintiff submitted a revised cost proposal on September 5, 1989, increasing the contract price by $2,418.00.

Although the record as it exists has not explained adequately the basis for this figure, it appears to represent plaintiffs estimate of the costs to core concrete walls and changes in the amount of materials required under HHS’s plan. Plaintiffs claim for concrete coring costs involves the routing of cable through non-contaminated areas. Contrary to the building plans that HHS submitted to plaintiff, plaintiff alleges that the internal walls were made of concrete, rather than plywood.1 Plaintiff appears to have regarded its September 5 cost proposal as “trading” its concrete coring service in exchange for the Government’s installation of electrical equipment in the asbestos-contaminated area. The $2,418.00 figure therefore appears to be the cost of the coring, discounted for the installation labor costs saved.

HHS rejected this figure as well, maintaining that the change in work required a price decrease to reflect the government-furnished labor. Modification No. 3, dated October 12, 1989, unilaterally changed the contract to implement HHS’s plan. The modification required that HHS “provide the labor required to install and adequately support rigid conduit in the area of the crawl space that is known to contain asbestos” and required plaintiff to “provide the materials fabricated to fit the conditions in the crawl space.” Modification No. 3 decreased the contract price by $1,073.00 to account for the reduction in the labor called for under the contract.

On November 17, 1989, plaintiff wrote to the contracting officer.

We are not in agreement with Modification #3____If the government charges for the labor provided, then the government should pay for the coring required ... plus Kanag’Iq’s mark up for a total of $1660.2

On December 1, 1999, the contracting officer issued a “Final Contracting Officer’s Decision” that treated plaintiffs November 17 letter as a claim for compensation. The decision denied the claim based on HHS’s position that plaintiff bore the risk that the walls [42]*42were constructed of concrete, thereby requiring coring. The decision advised plaintiff:

This is a final decision of the Contracting Officer. Your [sic] may appeal it to the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals .... If you desire to appeal, you must, within 90 days from the date you receive this decision, mail or otherwise furnish written notice to the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals____
Instead of appealing to the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, you may bring an action directly in the U.S. Claims Court [predecessor to the Court of Federal Claims] within 12 months of the date you receive this decision.

Plaintiff acknowledged receipt of the decision by letter of December 6,1989, and requested additional information regarding the procedures for appeal. In that letter, plaintiff referred to its November 17 letter as a “claim for additional compensation for electrical routing and coring costs.” The contracting officer responded by forwarding to plaintiff a copy of subpart 33.2 of the Federal Acquisition Regulations, 48 C.F.R. (FAR) (2000), “Disputes and Appeals.”

Plaintiff did not appeal the contracting officer’s December 1, 1989 decision. Defendant therefore argues that plaintiffs claim for costs relating to the asbestos contamination is untimely under section 609 of the CDA, which establishes a 12-month period for filing a lawsuit. Plaintiff rejoins that its November 17 letter was not a “claim” for purposes of the CDA, so that it was under no obligation to appeal the contracting officer’s decision.

Defendant’s motion also addresses the six bilateral modifications. These modifications typically originated with requests for proposals (“RFP’s”) issued by the COR to address unanticipated circumstances encountered during performance. The modifications were executed under the “Changes” clause of the contract.

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51 Fed. Cl. 38, 2001 U.S. Claims LEXIS 222, 2001 WL 1513180, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kanagiq-construction-co-v-united-states-uscfc-2001.