The First 72 Hours: Handling A Prime-Sub Dispute (Video)

If a prime contractor–subcontractor dispute just landed on your desk, the steps you take in the first 72 hours can shape the outcome of the entire dispute.

In government contracting, prime-sub relationships are foundational — but when they break down, the disputes that follow are often among the most complex and contentious in the industry. The stakes extend beyond money: in a highly competitive industry where past performance matters, how a dispute is handled can affect a company’s standing with the ultimate government customer and its ability to win future work.

In this episode of Inside Litigation, Ian Hoffman draws on his experience litigating prime-sub disputes to explain what in-house counsel must do from the moment a dispute arrives — and why the parties who have built a contemporaneous record of performance and performance problems are consistently the ones who come out ahead.