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General

Kevin Connelly helps government contractors resolve high-stakes contracting challenges, navigating them through bid protests, performance disputes and other claims, compliance matters and investigations.

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He has represented clients in hundreds of bid protests, including multibillion-dollar procurements. Focused exclusively on government contracting for four decades, Kevin possesses practical insight, deep legal knowledge and extensive experience. He advises defense and civilian contractors on federal procurement matters and represents challengers and awardees in bid protests before the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims (CFC).

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Additionally, Kevin counsels clients facing fraud allegations and False Claims Act/qui tam cases and guides companies through regulatory compliance and internal investigations. He assesses compliance issues, negotiates with federal agencies to resolve risk and represents clients in suspension and debarment matters.

Clients benefit from Kevin’s deep legal knowledge, tenacity, practicality and skill in managing complex litigation while maintaining constructive relationships with government counsel and identifying paths for contractors to keep working and generating revenue despite disputes.

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Successfully represented the incumbent contractor that had been found ineligible for a logistic operations support services contract through a series of protests at the GAO and then the Court of Federal Claims, to get it brought back into the procurement with discussions conducted, and then successfully defended the subsequent award decision to the client. Through the CICA stay and subsequently agreed-upon stay with the government, the client performed throughout the protests, while ultimately securing the long-term contract.

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Successfully represented the client through a series of agency-level, GAO and Court of Federal Claims protests in establishing the compliance of its proposal and past performance references to the solicitation’s requirements resulting in client maintaining award of a significant operations support contract. The contract was of great significance from both an individual and a positioning standpoint, and the protest battle was strategic and intense throughout.

Successfully represented a protester at the GAO in contesting an award with an estimated value in excess of $500 million. When the GAO found in a FAR Part 16 procurement that the solicitation required the agency to treat offerors fairly, which it had not, it permitted only the awardee to substantially revise its proposal despite conducting exchanges with multiple offerors.

Represented an incumbent contractor in an out-of-scope protest resulting in the client maintaining contract work. This was important to the client both from the standpoint of existing work and long-term positioning.

Conducted multiple detailed investigations of sensitive issues resulting in appropriate and practical resolutions.

Represented numerous clients in resolving or settling False Claims Act cases brought either by the United States or a qui tam relator, at either no cost or a fraction of the costs originally demanded. Accomplished this in all cases through resolutions without going to trial.

Kevin P. Connelly

Kevin P. Connelly

Credentials

Education

Bar Admissions

Affiliations

Recognition

Insights & Events

76 Vedder Price Attorneys Recognized in 2026 Best Lawyers® in America

77 Vedder Price Attorneys Recognized in 2025 Best Lawyers® in America

Vedder Price Recognized in Chambers USA in 2024

Vedder Price Recognized in Chambers USA in 2023

Kevin P. Connelly

Credentials

Education

Bar Admissions

Affiliations

Recognition

Insights & Events

76 Vedder Price Attorneys Recognized in 2026 Best Lawyers® in America

77 Vedder Price Attorneys Recognized in 2025 Best Lawyers® in America

Vedder Price Recognized in Chambers USA in 2024

Vedder Price Recognized in Chambers USA in 2023

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