GSA’s $50 billion Alliant governmentwide acquisition contract is on hold because of protests by losing bidders.

After several companies filed protests with the Government Accountability Office, Serco Inc., a subsidiary of a British firm, took its case to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. The first hearing on the protest is set for Feb. 4.

GSA has said it will award the $15 billion Alliant Small Business GWAC in December. It is not clear whether that timetable will be affected by the protests on the full and open contract. Up to 60 small business awards are anticipated.

Twenty-nine large and mid-sized IT companies won places on the main Alliant contract in July.

In its court filing, Serco charges GSA was “arbitrary and capricious” in awarding the contracts and did not properly evaluate offerors’ past performance, references and technical capabilities, Government Executive magazine reported. Serco asked the court to reopen the contract for bids.

Several other losing bidders reportedly have joined the Serco’s protest. Protests to the Court of Claims are relatively rare because they are more expensive and require more extensive legal filings than cases before GAO. They also take longer than GAO cases.

The Defense Contract Management Agency plans to shut down its paper-based invoicing systems in January as it switches to electronic invoicing, according to the Government Contracting Institute.

All invoices must be submitted through the Wide Area Work Flow system. Paper invoices will be returned.

The institute is offering an online training session on Wide Area Work Flow on Dec. 7. For information, go to www.gcionline.net.

Congress has added $48 million to the Defense Department budget for improvements in contract management.

The money is in the 2008 Defense Appropriation Act signed by President Bush on Nov. 13.

The congressional conference report said, “The department clearly lacks accountability and management of its contracted services. It calls for hiring more contract management and oversight personnel for the Defense Contract Audit Agency, the Defense Contract Management Agency and the Defense Inspector General.

Critics said the money will do nothing to improve requirements definition and statements of work that have hampered DOD contracting.

SBA is proposing to waive the nonmanufacturer rule for a variety of medical equipment:

Electromedical and Electrothera-peutic Apparatus Manufacturing, Diagnostic equipment, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) manufacturing; Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) medical diagnostic equipment manufacturing; Medical ultrasound equipment manufacturing; MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) medical diagnostic equipment manufacturing; Patient monitoring equipment (e.g., intensive care coronary care unit) manufacturing; PET (positron emission equipment tomography) scanners manufacturing; and Positron emission tomography (PET) scanners manufacturing, North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 334510 product number 6525.

Irradiation Apparatus Manufacturing, Computerized axial tomography (CT/CAT) scanners manufacturing; CT/CAT (computerized axial tomography) scanners manufacturing; Fluoroscopes manufacturing; Fluoroscopic X-ray apparatus and tubes manufacturing; Generators, X-ray, manufacturing; Irradiation equipment manufacturing; X-ray generators manufacturing; and X-ray irradiation equipment manufacturing,

Comments on the proposed waivers are due Nov. 30.