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Sec. 17.31 - Use of alternative dispute
resolution.
(a) The Office of Dispute Resolution for Acquisition shall encourage the parties to utilize ADR as their primary means to resolve protests and contract disputes. (b) The parties shall make a good faith effort to explore ADR possibilities in all cases and to employ ADR in every appropriate case. The Office of Dispute Resolution for Acquisition will encourage use of ADR techniques such as mediation, neutral evaluation, or minitrials, or variations of these techniques as agreed by the parties and approved by the Office of Dispute Resolution for Acquisition. The Office of Dispute Resolution for Acquisition shall assign a DRO to explore ADR options with the parties and to arrange for an early neutral evaluation of the merits of a case, if requested by any party. (c) The Default Adjudicative Process will be used where the parties cannot achieve agreement on the use of ADR; or where ADR has been employed but has not resolved all pending issues in dispute; or where the Office of Dispute Resolution for Acquisition concludes that ADR will not provide an expeditious means of resolving a particular dispute. Even where the Default Adjudicative Process is to be used, the Office of Dispute Resolution for Acquisition, with the parties consent, may employ informal ADR techniques concurrently with and in parallel to adjudication. |