How to File

Use the following methods to file documents with the CBCA. Do not file a document twice using two different methods, such as providing a second copy by mail.

FILING ELECTRONICALLY

Contract Disputes Act (CDA) Appeals (including EAJA and ISDA appeals) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Arbitrations

As of February 10, 2025, filers must use the Electronic Docketing System (EDS) (https://www.eds.cbca.gov) for all filings in CDA appeals—except documents filed pursuant to Board Rule 4 (48 CFR 6101.4)—and in FEMA arbitrations. Parties must create a new user account in EDS prior to filing any documents in EDS. For more information, go to EDS tab.

Other Case Types (TRAV, RELO, FCIC, DEBT, RATE, FLTC, FMCSA)

As of February 10, 2025 the Board will continue to accept electronic filings (“efilings”), meaning documents submitted through the Board’s email system (“efiled”), for all case types other than CDA appeals (including EAJA and ISDA appeals) and FEMA arbitrations. Parties may efile documents by sending an email (usually with attachments) to efile.cbca@cbca.gov, except for documents that are classified or submitted in camera or under a protective order. Efiling occurs upon receipt by the CBCA’s email server, except that the attachments must be in .pdf format and 18 megabytes (MB) or smaller or they will be rejected.

Timing

For all filings submitted electronically, (efilings and EDS filings), the Board considers submissions received by 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time as same day filings. Electronic filings received at or after midnight (12:00:00 a.m. Eastern Time) are considered filed the next business day.

Rule 4 Appeal Files and Supplements

Rule 4 appeal files and supplements may NOT be filed in EDS.

Parties may efile Rule 4 appeal files and supplements via email (efile.cbca@cbca.gov), provided that:

1) There are no more than 10 total emails, each not to exceed 18 MB.
2) The index and each exhibit is a separate .pdf file.
3) Exhibit .pdfs are not merged and do not have embedded files.

As long as the Rule 4 appeal files and supplements meet the requirements above, the parties DO NOT need permission from the Board to efile Rule 4 appeal files or supplements.

For additional information on filing Rule 4 appeal files, see here.

FILING BY U.S. MAIL, IN-PERSON, COURIER, EXPRESS MAIL, OR FACSIMILE

• U.S. Mail: Filings sent to the CBCA using the United States Postal Service (USPS) should be directed to the CBCA’s mailing address at 1800 M Street, NW, 6th Floor, Washington, DC 20036.
• In-person, Courier, or Express Mail (FedEx/UPS): In-person, courier, or express mail filings should be directed to the CBCA’s physical address at 1800 M Street, NW, 6th floor, Washington, DC 20036. The Clerk’s office only accepts in-person, courier, or express mail filings on business days and during business hours. The CBCA’s business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Eastern Time). The CBCA’s business days are days other than Saturdays, Sundays, federal holidays, days on which the CBCA is required to close before 4:30 p.m., or days on which the CBCA does not open for any reason, such as inclement weather.
• Facsimile: The CBCA’s facsimile number is (202) 296-0341. The filing of a document via facsimile occurs upon receipt by the CBCA of the entire document.

Any questions about filings may be addressed to the Clerk by telephone at (202) 606-8800 or by email at cbcaclerk@cbca.gov.

Efiling Best Practices

• Include the case number, case name, and brief description of the filing in the email subject line.
• Ensure an electronic receipt for efilings by requesting a read receipt before submitting the email. If you submit multiple filings, you will receive a confirmation for only the first document filed. Please feel free to call the Office of the Clerk of the CBCA to confirm receipt of multiple submissions.
• Remember to cc: opposing parties, or otherwise indicate a copy has been served.
• If an efiling contains multiple attachments, use a file naming convention that identifies and indicates the order of the attachments (i.e, Attachment 1, 2, etc.).
• For each efiling, combine the document filed and its attachments into one .pdf. Attachments may be identified by placing a label sheet before each attachment or by labelling or electronically stamping the first page of each attachment.
• DO NOT submit multiple filings for unconsolidated cases in the same efiling.
• DO NOT embed documents or document links in an efiling.

The following efilings will not be accepted by the CBCA

• Efilings with attachments that are not in .pdf format.
• Efilings with links requiring the CBCA to download attachments from third party document hosting services (e.g. Dropbox or secure FTP sites).
• Efilings that exceed the CBCA’s 18 megabyte (MB) size restriction.
• Documents that are classified or efiled in camera or under a protective order.
• PDF documents containing viruses. Efilings with attachments containing viruses will be blocked by the CBCA's efiling system. All .pdf documents should be scanned for viruses before they are sent to the CBCA to ensure that the e-mail filing is not blocked, and the filing is timely made.