One of the benefits from protesting a procurement action has been the extension of any incumbent contract for the duration of the protest.  As such, incumbent contractors that lose a re-compete will often protest just to keep working going for a few more months.  Recent actions in the Army CIO’s office, however, have thrown a wrench into that traditional thinking.  That office laid off over a combined 100 contract workers in two separate actions when it refused to extend the contracts of incumbents protesting re-compete decisions.  The office has chosen to make-do without those workers, rather than encourage what it views as unnecessary delays in the implementation of needed technology upgrades.  The Army CIO office is clearly frustrated at the propensity of contractors to routinely protest any significant contract action.  This frustration has been exacerbated in instances where a company will protest multiple times along the way.  Contractors certainly have a right to protest, and these columns have championed that right.  If, though, your firm wants to add life to a contract you lost on re-compete, the Army CIO may not be the place to do that.