22 U.S.C. § 3862 — Panama Canal Board of Contract Appeals

(a)(1) After consulting the Commission, the Secretary of Defense may establish the Panama Canal Board of Contract Appeals under the listed provisions of title 41. Unless this section says otherwise, the Board is subject to chapter 71 of title 41 like any other agency board of contract appeals. (a)(2) The Board has three members, and at least one must be licensed to practice law in Panama. Each appointee must take an oath of office in the form prescribed by the Secretary. (a)(3) The Commission’s supervisory board sets members’ compensation. Annual compensation may not exceed the basic-pay rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, and a member’s compensation may not be reduced during the term from the level set at appointment. (b) Despite section 7104(b)(1) of title 41 and other law, the Board alone decides appeals from contracting-officer decisions under section 7105(e) of title 41. (c) The Board decides protests submitted under this subsection by interested parties under subchapter V of title 31. Despite sections 3556 of title 31, 1491(b) of title 28, and other law, the Board alone decides those protests. For these protests, references to the Comptroller General in sections 3551-3555 of title 31 mean the Board, except that the reference in section 3553(d)(3)(C)(ii) means both the Board and the Comptroller General. The report required by section 3554(e)(1) must go to the Comptroller General and the committees named there, and the report required by section 3554(e)(2) must go to the Comptroller General and Congress. Section 3556 does not apply to the Board, but an interested party may still file a protest with the appropriate contracting officer. (d) The Board must prescribe procedures needed to decide appeals and protests quickly. (e) It begins functioning when it has been established and has prescribed those procedures. (f) It has authority over appeals and protests filed on or after the date it begins functioning. Matters filed earlier stay before the forum where they were filed. (g) The Board may perform similar functions for other Commission matters or activities if the Commission decides that it should, under Commission regulations.