As 2025 draws to a close, both the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (ASBCA) and the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals (CBCA) have released their annual reports for fiscal year 2025. Together, these reports offer valuable insights into contract dispute trends, case outcomes, use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), and broader developments  practitioners and contractors should monitor. They also provide a snapshot of how contract appeals are being managed across federal defense and civilian agencies.

1. Overview of the Boards

• ASBCA: The ASBCA is an independent tribunal that hears and decides contract disputes between government contractors and  federal agencies, primarily within the Department of Defense, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Defense Logistics Agency and others, under the Contract Disputes Act (CDA). The board also hears certain non-Defense appeals by agreement with other agencies.
• CBCA: The CBCA is a centralized administrative appeals board housed within the General Services Administration. It adjudicates a wide range of disputes involving federal agencies, including CDA appeals, debt collection cases, relief from forfeiture, travel and relocation claims, and FEMA arbitration requests.

2. ASBCA FY 2025 — Case Filings, Dispositions and Trends

The ASBCA’s fiscal year 2025 annual report, covering the period ending Sept. 30, 2025, reflects continued high activity across the board’s docket, with several noteworthy statistical highlights.

3. Caseload and Case Management

• Docketed Cases: The board docketed 371 cases in FY 2025, up from 276 in FY 2024, continuing a pattern of fluctuating caseloads.
• Case Dispositions: During the year, the ASBCA disposed of 399 cases, including merits decisions, dismissals and other outcomes.
• Merits Decisions: Of those disposed cases, 140 were decided on the merits. Contractors prevailed, in whole or in part, in approximately 67% of those decisions..

4. Pending Matters and Motion Practice

• Pending Cases: The number of pending appeals declined slightly to 748 at the end of FY 2025, down from 784 at the close of FY 2024.
• Motions: Significant motion practice remains a feature of the docket, with hundreds of motions pending, including motions to dismiss and for summary judgment.

5. Hearings and ADR

• Hearings: The ASBCA conducted 14 hearings totaling 50 days and adjudicated 50 cases.
• Alternative dispute resolution: The board’s ADR program remained robust. In FY 2025, 80 cases were voluntarily diverted to ADR, with 46 successfully resolved and others still pending or in session at year’s end.
• Appeals to the Federal Circuit

6. Appeals to the Federal Circuit

• Judicial review: In FY 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit docketed 10 appeals from ASBCA decisions, the majority of which were affirmed.

The takeaway:
The ASBCA continues to operate as a high-volume tribunal with a strong contractor sustain rate on the merits, reinforcing the importance of careful case development, quality briefing and thorough preparation. The ADR program also remains a valuable mechanism for resolving disputes without prolonged litigation.

7. CBCA FY 2025: Rising Appeals and ADR Trends

Although the CBCA’s annual report is more concise and not always published in full online, it nonetheless reveals several key trends from FY 2025:

8. Growing Caseload

• The CBCA experienced a significant increase in new case filings, with approximately 390 to447 new cases docketed in FY 2025, a notable rise from FY 2024. A portion of those filings — 222 cases— were CDA appeals.

9. Merits Decisions and Contractor Outcomes

• While the CBCA resolved fewer CDA appeals on the merits than the ASBCA, with roughly 36 merits decisions issued by year end, contractors nonetheless prevailed in a majority of those cases. Combined full and partial grants accounted for approximately 61% of merits outcomes.

10. ADR Settlements and Dismissals

• ADR activity: The CBCA’s use of ADR declined slightly in FY 2025, compared withprior years, even as CDA appeals increased. This mirrors a similar, modest decrease in ADR usage reported by the ASBCA.
• Settlements: Many CBCA appeals continue to resolve through settlement and voluntary dismissal, a long-standing trend underscoring the value of negotiated resolution strategies.

11. Technology and Jurisdictional Developments

• The CBCA successfully launched an Electronic Docketing System  in FY 2025 to streamline and modernize filings.
• The board also noted potential implications of emerging legal frameworks, including civil fraud claims under the newly enacted Administrative False Claims Act — an expansion of jurisdictionworth monitoring in the coming year.

The takeaway:
With a growing docket and sustained  contractor success on the merits, careful case selection and strategic use of ADR remain critical at the CBCA. Continued technological enhancements  also signal ongoing modernization of board procedures.

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