§ 113. Appeals

(a) Failure to settle claims by agreement; preparation of findings; notice to war contractor

Whenever the contracting agency responsible for settling any termination claim has not settled the claim by agreement or has so settled only a part of the claim,

(1) the contracting agency at any time may determine the amount due on such claim or such unsettled part, and prepare written findings indicating the basis of the determination, and deliver a copy of such findings to the war contractor, or

(2) if the termination claim has been submitted in the manner and substantially the form prescribed under this chapter, the contracting agency, upon written demand by the war contractor for such findings, shall determine the amount due on the claim or unsettled part and prepare and deliver such findings to the war contractor within ninety days after the receipt by the agency of such demand. In preparing such findings, the contracting agency may require the war contractor to furnish such information and to submit to such audits as may be reasonably necessary for that purpose. Within thirty days after the delivery of any such findings, the contracting agency shall pay to the war contractor at least 90 per centum of the amount thereby determined to be due, after deducting the amount of any outstanding interim financing applicable thereto.

(b) Rights of war contractor

Whenever any war contractor is aggrieved by the findings of a contracting agency on his claim or part thereof or by its failure to make such findings in accordance with subsection (a) of this section, he may bring suit against the United States for such claim or such part thereof, in the United States Court of Federal Claims or in a United States district court, in accordance with sections 1346, 2401, and 2402 of title 28, except that, if the contracting agency is the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, or any corporation organized pursuant to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation Act, or any corporation owned or controlled by the United States, the suit shall be brought against such corporation in any court of competent jurisdiction in accordance with existing law.

Any proceeding under subsection (b) of this section shall be governed by the following conditions:

(1) When any contracting agency provides a procedure within the agency for protest against such findings or for other appeal therefrom by the war contractor, the war contractor, before proceeding under subsection (b) of this section,

(i) in his discretion may resort to such procedure within the time specified in his contract or, if no time is specified, within thirty days after the delivery to him of the findings; and

(ii) shall resort to such procedure for protest or other appeal to the extent required by the Administrator of General Services, but failure of the contracting agency to act on any such required protest or appeal within thirty days shall operate as a refusal by the agency to modify its findings. Any revision of the findings by the contracting agency, upon protest or appeal within the agency, shall be treated as the findings of the agency for the purpose of appeal or suit under subsection (b) of this section. Notwithstanding any contrary provision in any war contract, no war contractor shall be required to protest or appeal from such findings within the contracting agency except in accordance with this paragraph.

(2) A war contractor may initiate proceedings in accordance with subsection (b) of this section (i) within ninety days after delivery to him of the findings by the contracting agency, or (ii) in case of protests or appeal within the agency, within ninety days after the determination of such protest or appeal, or (iii) in case of failure to deliver such findings, within one year after his demand therefor. If he does not initiate such proceedings within the time specified, he shall be precluded thereafter from initiating any proceedings in accordance with subsection (b) of this section, and the findings of the contracting agency shall be final and conclusive, or if no findings were made, he shall be deemed to have waived such termination claim.

(3) Notwithstanding any contrary provision in any war contract, the court shall not be bound by the findings of the contracting agency, but shall treat such findings as prima facie correct, and the burden shall be on the war contractor to establish that the amount due on his claim or part thereof exceeds the amount allowed by the findings of the contracting agency. Whenever the court finds that the war contractor failed to negotiate in good faith with the contracting agency for the settlement of his claim or part thereof before appeal or suit thereon, or failed to furnish to the agency any information reasonably requested by it regarding his termination claim or part thereof, or failed to prosecute diligently any protest or appeal required to be taken under subsection (c)(1)(ii) of this section, the court

(i) may refuse to receive in evidence any information not submitted to the contracting agency;

(ii) may deny interest on the claim or part thereof for such period as it deems proper; or

(iii) may remand the case to the contracting agency for further proceedings upon such terms as the court may prescribe. Unless the case is remanded, the court shall enter the appropriate award or judgment on the basis of the law and facts, and may increase or decrease the amount allowed by the findings of the contracting agency.

(4) Any such proceedings shall not affect the authority of the contracting agency concerned to make a settlement of the termination claim, or any part thereof, by agreement with the war contractor at any time before such proceedings are concluded.

(d) Omitted

(e) Arbitration

The contracting agency responsible for settling any claim and the war contractor asserting the claim, by agreement, may submit all or any part of the termination claim to arbitration, without regard to the amount in dispute. Such arbitration proceedings shall be governed by the provisions of United States Arbitration Act to the same extent as if authorized by an effective agreement in writing between the Government and the war contractor. Any such arbitration award shall be final and conclusive upon the United States to the same extent as a settlement under subsection (c) of section 106 of this title, but shall not be subject to approval by any settlement review board.

(f) Conclusiveness of decisions

Whenever any dispute exists between any war contractor and a subcontractor regarding any termination claim, either of them, by agreement with the other, may submit the dispute to a contracting agency for mediation or arbitration whenever authorized by the agency or required by the Administrator of General Services.

Any award or decision in such proceedings shall be final and conclusive as to the parties so submitting any such dispute and shall not be questioned by the United States in settling any related claim, in the absence of fraud or collusion.