Breach of Verbal Contract With USPS

**mperk** · 05-20-2009, 12:00 PM

My question involves business law in the state of: California

We are a small woman owned architecture business with an on call contract with the USPS. On one construction project the Project manager at the USPS called in a panic to ask for additional services which we provided based on his verbal authorization. He retired shortly thereafter and now the USPS says they will not pay us the $7K for the additional services because there is no written USPS authorization. We sent written proposals, etc. and they accepted the work which we provided and used it for construction.

The new PM at the USPS says tough cookies - seems unfair... Is there an office of fairness for the federal govet dealing w/ small business or can they just brow beat us?

**Mr. Knowitall** · 05-22-2009, 05:33 AM

You have a contract for services with the USPS, apart from this request for additional services. What does your signed, written contract say about changes and change orders?

**mperk** · 05-22-2009, 10:54 AM

Quoting Mr. Knowitall

You have a contract for services with the USPS, apart from this request for additional services. What does your signed, written contract say about changes and change orders?

It is a huge contract, I am sure that it says that all change orders, etc. have to be in writing and approved in writing. So their position is that they did not authorize this in writing but the PM verbally authorized it and it was a "construction emergency" to get this extra work (which he had overlooked) completed fast. We sent our part in in writing but he did not process the paper work - they just took the engineering drawings, used them and then he retired without telling us.

Thanks!