Singleton Contracting Corporation v. Harvey

395 F.3d 1353, 2005 U.S. App. LEXIS 1257, 2005 WL 159447
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
DecidedJanuary 26, 2005
Docket2004-1119
StatusPublished

This text of 395 F.3d 1353 (Singleton Contracting Corporation v. Harvey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Singleton Contracting Corporation v. Harvey, 395 F.3d 1353, 2005 U.S. App. LEXIS 1257, 2005 WL 159447 (Fed. Cir. 2005).

Opinion

BRYSON, Circuit Judge.

In September 1993, Singleton Contracting Corporation entered into a contract with the Department of the Army to do construction work at two Army Reserve Centers. The contract contained a clause requiring Singleton to buy and maintain specified types and amounts of insurance “during the entire period of performance under this contract.” The same clause required Singleton to provide the contracting officer with proof of the required insurance “prior to commencement of work.” The contract contained another clause requiring Singleton to furnish a certificate of insurance at the preconstruction conference.

The preconstruction conference was held on November 2, 1993. During the conference, it became apparent that the government’s plans were flawed and that construction could not begin until the government provided Singleton with new construction drawings. In addition, Singleton failed to provide a certificate of insurance at the conference. Singleton’s representative stated that Singleton would submit proof of insurance “within the next few days,” but Singleton never did so. On February 15, 1994, the contracting officer informed Singleton that the government would not allow Singleton to begin work at either Reserve Center until Singleton submitted the required certificate of insurance. Singleton responded that it was not obligated to furnish proof of insurance until ten days after the government allowed work to begin.

In the meantime, Singleton began submitting invoices requesting payment for material and bonds purchased for the contract. The contracting officer refused to pay the invoices on the ground that no proof of insurance had been submitted. Finally, on August 8, 1994, the contracting officer terminated the contract for the con *1355 venience of the government. At that point, the government had not provided Singleton with the revised drawings and specification changes, Singleton had not provided proof of insurance, and none of the contract work had been performed.

Singleton submitted proposals for settlement of the termination. Singleton sought settlement costs, the costs of material and bonds it procured for thé contract, and overhead costs. The Defense Contract Audit Agency conducted an audit and issued a report on Singleton’s claims. The audit focused on the amount that Singleton claimed it was owed for unabsorbed overhead, but it did not make a determination as to whether Singleton was entitled to the overhead. The auditor first found that Singleton’s total amount of overhead during the period of the contract should be reduced from $108,125 to $88,348. More importantly, the auditor found that the contract accounted for only 13 percent of Singleton’s revenue in 1993 and 1994. Applying that fraction to Singleton’s total overhead, the auditor determined that only $11,485 of overhead should be allocated to the government contract. Singleton subsequently demanded that the contracting officer make a decision with respect to the audit report. When the contracting officer did not make a timely decision, Singleton appealed to the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals from the deemed denial of its claims.

Before the Board, Singleton sought to recover overhead costs, the costs of material purchased for the contract, and post-termination settlement costs. Singleton Contracting Corp., ASBCA No. 51692 (Aug. 8, 2003). Regarding the claim for overhead for the period during which performance of the contract was delayed, the Board found that Singleton was responsible for the delay. The Board ruled that the government’s failure to provide new drawings was merely a concurrent cause of the delay and that Singleton therefore was not entitled to unabsorbed overhead under Nicon, Inc. v. United States, 331 F.3d 878 (Fed.Cir.2003). The Board further found that Singleton had not presented sufficient evidence to justify an award of overhead on any other theory of recovery. The Board failed to specifically address Singleton’s claims for the costs of materials purchased for the contract and the post-termination settlement costs.

I

In pressing its case for unabsorbed overhead resulting from the contract delay, Singleton essentially asks that we find that the government was solely responsible for the delay. Singleton bases its argument on two alternative theories. First, it claims that it was not required to provide proof of insurance before beginning work. Therefore, it asserts, the lack of insurance cannot form the basis for attributing the delay to the company. Second, Singleton contends that if it was required to provide proof of insurance before beginning work, it was required to do so only at the preconstruction conference. Because the conference was suspended and never rescheduled, Singleton argues that its obligation to produce proof of insurance never matured.

Singleton’s first theory relies on a clause entitled “Insurance — Work on a Government Installation,” which states that Singleton must offer proof of insurance “before commencing work under this contract.” The contract also specifies that Singleton must begin work within ten days of receiving the government’s notice to proceed. Singleton therefore claims that it was required to provide insurance only after the government directed it to begin work.

The problem with this argument is that the contract also contains a clause that *1356 explicitly required Singleton to furnish a certificate of insurance during the precon-struction conference. The two provisions are easily reconciled: the first specifies that the contractor must submit a certificate of insurance before beginning work, while the second specifies exactly when proof of insurance must be provided during that pre-work period, i.e., at the pre-construction conference. Accordingly, we agree with the Board that Singleton was required to present proof of insurance at the preconstruction conference.

Alternatively, Singleton asserts that it did not fail to furnish proof of insurance at the preconstruction conference because the business at the conference was never concluded. Singleton argues that the government’s construction drawings were so defective that it was necessary to schedule another conference before construction could begin. For support, Singleton points to the notes made by the government during the meeting, which state that another preconstruction conference would be scheduled. Singleton contends that it could be held accountable for the delay only if it did not produce proof of insurance by the conclusion of that second meeting, because only then would it have failed to meet its obligation to furnish proof of insurance at the preconstruction conference.

Singleton’s argument is based on a strained reading of the contract. The contract provided that the contracting officer would schedule a preconstruction conference and that Singleton would be required to produce proof of insurance at that time. The government was required to produce adequate construction drawings at the same conference. The preconstruction conference was held, but Singleton did not produce the required certificate of insurance and the government did not produce the required drawings. The fact that neither party complied with its obligations as of the time of that conference does not mean that either one should be excused for its default.

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Related

Nicon, Inc. v. United States
331 F.3d 878 (Federal Circuit, 2003)

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Bluebook (online)
395 F.3d 1353, 2005 U.S. App. LEXIS 1257, 2005 WL 159447, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/singleton-contracting-corporation-v-harvey-cafc-2005.