Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 106 Part 5.djvu/880

This page needs to be proofread.

106 STAT. 4518 PUBLIC LAW 102-572—OCT. 29, 1992 Administration, shall be made available for trials and other proceedings outside of the District of Columbia.". (b) HEARING IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY.— Section 798 of title 28, United States Code, is amended— (1) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (c); and (2) by inserting after subsection (a) the following: "(b) Upon application of a party or upon the judge's own initiative, and upon a showing that the interests of economy, efficiency, and justice will be served, the chief judge of the Court of Federal Claims may issue an order authorizing a judge of the court to conduct proceedings, including evidentiary hearings and trials, in a foreign country whose laws do not prohibit such proceedings, except that an interlocutory appeal may be taken from such an order pursuant to section 1292(d)(2) of this title, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit may, in its discretion, consider the appeal.". (c) APPEAL JURISDICTION. — Section 1292(d)(2) of title 28, United States Code, is amended by inserting after "When" the following: "the chief judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims issues an order under section 798(b) of this title, or when". SEC. 907. JURISDICTION. (a) CERTIFICATIONS.— (1) Section 6(c) of the Contract Disputes Act of 1978 (41 U.S.C. 605(c)) is amended— (A) in paragraph (1) in the second sentence— (i) by striking "and" after "belief,"; and (ii) by inserting before the period at the end of the sentence the following: ", and that the certifier is duly authorized to certify the claim on behalf of the contractor"; and (B) by adding at the end the following: "(6) The contracting officer shall have no obligation to render a final decision on any claim of more than $50,000 that is not certified in accordance with paragraph (1) if, within 60 days after receipt of the claim, the contracting officer notifies the contractor in writing of the reasons why any attempted certification was found to be defective. A defect in the certification of a claim shall not deprive a court or an agency board of contract appeals of jurisdiction over that claim. Prior to the entry of a final judgment by a court or a decision by an agency board of contract appeals, the court or agency board shall require a defective certification to be corrected. "(7) The certification required by paragraph (1) may be executed by any person duly authorized to bind the contractor with respect to the claim.". 41 USC 605 (2) The amendment made by paragraph (1)(B) shall be effective "°**- with respect to all claims filed before, on, or after the date of the enactment of this Act, except for those claims which, before such date of enactment, have been the subject of an appeal to an agency board of contract appeals or a suit in the United States Claims Court. 41 USC 611 (3) If any interest is due under section 12 of the Contract "°*®- Disputes Act of 1978 on a claim for which the certification under section 6(c)(1) is, on or after the date of the enactment of this Act, found to be defective shall be paid from the later of the date on which the contracting officer initially received the claim or the date of the enactment of this Act. , .,;=...-