United States Court of Federal Claims

What United States Court of Federal Claims does

The United States Court of Federal Claims is a federal Article I court of record with national jurisdiction, recreated in October 1982 by the Federal Courts Improvement Act and tracing its judicial tradition to the 1855 Court of Claims. It is authorized to hear primarily money claims against the federal government founded on the Constitution, federal statutes, executive regulations, or contracts — including tax refund suits, government contract disputes, bid protests, military and civilian pay claims, vaccine injury compensation, intellectual property claims, Indian tribe claims, and Fifth Amendment takings. Sixteen judges are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate for 15-year terms; the court additionally houses the Office of Special Masters (up to seven special masters on four-year terms) that adjudicates the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.

Core technology comprises the mandatory CM/ECF electronic filing system for attorneys, PACER for public access to opinions and case documents, Pay.gov for statutory fee processing, JEFS/Box (Justice Enterprise File Sharing) for administrative records in bid protests, and enterprise-grade videoconferencing (Polycom, Cisco, Lifesize, and Zoom for Government, authorized November 10, 2020 post-FedRAMP ATO). Courtrooms are equipped with video evidence presentation systems, landline audio conferencing, and three-camera video bridges.

The business model is statutory rather than commercial: operating funds come from congressional appropriations, while transactional revenue derives from fixed filing fees set by statute and the Judicial Conference (civil filings $405, appeals $605 as of December 2023, plus document/certified-copy fees); no fees are charged for services on behalf of the United States except enumerated electronic records. Petitioners — individuals, domestic and foreign corporations, states and localities, Indian tribes and nations, and foreign nationals — initiate cases by filing complaints, and the Department of Justice represents the United States as defendant in every matter. Customer segments use a vertical segmentation approach spanning general monetary claims, vaccine injury, bid protests, and Fifth Amendment takings.

Name

United States Court of Federal Claims

Legal name

United States Court of Federal Claims

Website

https://uscfc.uscourts.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The United States Court of Federal Claims is a federal Article I court with national jurisdiction that hears primarily money claims against the U.S. government, including tax refund suits, contract disputes, bid protests, vaccine injury compensation, and Fifth Amendment takings, serving individuals, corporations, tribes, states, and government contractors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Federal Court Adjudication Services

NAICS

Courts (92211)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAIAFAH

Court Services & Operations (Clerks, Records, Jury, Interpreters)

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Justice System (Courts, Prosecution & Corrections)

SECONDARYBPAIADAK

Dispute Resolution, Appeals & Tax Tribunals

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Tax, Revenue & Customs Administration

Keywords

• Federal court adjudication
• Monetary claims
• Government contracts
• Bid protests
• Vaccine compensation

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Filing Fees and Court Fees: As a federal judicial body, the court generates revenue through statutory filing fees, including civil filing fees ($405 as of Dec 2023), appeals fees ($605 as of Dec 2023), petition fees, copy fees ($0.50 per page), and certified copy fees ($11.00 additional). These fees are established by statute and the Judicial Conference of the United States. Revenue is used to support court operations rather than generate profit.
2. Court Services Fees: Additional fees for services including transcript requests, audio CDs of proceedings, and other court administrative services. The fee schedule is maintained on the court's website and updated periodically.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The United States Court of Federal Claims is an Article I federal court of record with national jurisdiction that adjudicates primarily money claims against the United States government, including tax refund suits, government contract claims, bid protests, military and civilian pay claims, intellectual property claims, Indian tribe claims, Fifth Amendment takings cases, and statutory claims. It also administers the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program through its Office of Special Masters, providing a no-fault alternative to traditional tort litigation for vaccine-related injuries. The court supports its judicial functions through electronic case filing (CM/ECF), public records access (PACER), and enterprise-grade courtroom technology including video evidence presentation and remote conferencing systems.

Product overview

The United States Court of Federal Claims operates as a court of record with national jurisdiction, established pursuant to Article I of the U.S. Constitution and recreated in October 1982 by the Federal Courts Improvement Act. The court's technology portfolio centers on three core offerings: the CM/ECF (Case Management/Electronic Case Files) system, which is the mandatory electronic filing and case management platform for attorneys; PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records), which provides public access to opinions, orders, and case documents; and the Office of Special Masters, which adjudicates vaccine injury compensation claims under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. These are supported by the Opinions & Orders publication system, rules and forms repositories, video conferencing infrastructure for remote proceedings, and specialized processes for bid protests and sealed document management. The court has sixteen judges nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate for fifteen-year terms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CM/ECF (Case Management/Electronic Case Files) The court's primary electronic case filing and management platform used by attorneys to file documents, manage cases, and serve parties electronically. Electronic filing is mandatory for all attorneys admitted to the court's bar unless granted a specific exemption. The system supports document uploads, case tracking, electronic service of filings, and integrated payment of filing fees via Pay.gov.
• PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) Publicly accessible electronic records system providing free access to court opinions and orders, and paid access to case docket information and documents. COFC's recent opinions and decisions are accessible through PACER.
• Office of Special Masters – National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program An office within the court created pursuant to the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, consisting of up to eight special masters appointed for four-year terms. Special masters manage and adjudicate vaccine injury claims under a no-fault compensation program, providing a swift, flexible, and less adversarial alternative to traditional tort litigation.
• Opinions & Orders Publication The court's system for publishing judicial decisions. Recent opinions of the court (one year) and recent special master decisions (one year) are available through dedicated listings on the court's website and via PACER. Historical opinions from 2014 to present are available through Govinfo, with pre-2014 opinions on the court's legacy website.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CFC Bar AssociationcoreOthersThe CFC Bar Association is an independent bar association for attorneys admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. The court maintains a link to the Bar Association website (cfcbar.org) and Bar Association leadership participates in the court's Advisory Council as ex officio members. The Bar Association coordinates attorney education and maintains a list of attorneys by fields of practice.
• United States CourtscoreOthersThe court is part of the federal judiciary under the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Links to uscourts.gov provide access to national judicial policies, forms, and statistics.
• Court of Appeals for the Federal CircuitcoreOthersThe U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (cafc.uscourts.gov) is the appellate court for the Court of Federal Claims. Appeals from the Court of Federal Claims are filed with the Federal Circuit. Both courts share the National Courts Building.
• Court LibraryminorOthersThe Court Library at 717 Madison Place, NW, 2nd Floor provides legal research resources for court users and is open to the public for research.
• Department of JusticecoreOthersDefense counsel for every case in the court is an attorney from the Department of Justice, regardless of whether the suit is against the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Defense, or any other federal agency or entity. DOJ attorneys represent the United States in all cases.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• United States Tax Court: An Article I federal court of record with nationwide jurisdiction adjudicating disputes between taxpayers and the IRS. Closely comparable to the Court of Federal Claims as a specialized federal forum resolving monetary claims against the United States, with overlapping tax-refund jurisdiction.
• United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit: The appellate court with exclusive jurisdiction over appeals from the Court of Federal Claims. Shares the National Courts Building and operates as the direct appellate counterpart in the federal claims judiciary, making it the most structurally tied peer.
• United States Court of International Trade: An Article III national court with exclusive jurisdiction over civil actions against the United States arising out of international trade and customs laws. Comparable as a specialized federal forum with nationwide reach adjudicating monetary claims against the federal government.
• United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims: An Article I court with exclusive jurisdiction over decisions of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on veterans' benefits. Comparable as a specialized federal adjudicatory body with a focused caseload and nationwide jurisdiction over claims against the United States.

Broad incumbents

• U.S. District Courts: General-jurisdiction federal trial courts that exercise concurrent jurisdiction over tax refund suits and other claims against the United States. Comparable as competing forums for federal claims litigation and as a broader jurisdictional incumbent in the federal judiciary.
• Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts: The federal judiciary's central administrative agency that oversees budgets, staffing, and shared technology platforms (PACER, CM/ECF) used by the Court of Federal Claims. Directly comparable as the operational and funding backbone governing the court's capacity.
• U.S. Bankruptcy Courts: Units of the U.S. District Courts with specialized jurisdiction over bankruptcy proceedings. Comparable as another specialized federal adjudicatory forum under the same national e-filing infrastructure (CM/ECF/PACER) and similar procedural posture.

Others

• CFC Bar Association: Independent bar association for attorneys admitted to practice before the Court of Federal Claims, with ex officio representation on the court's Advisory Council. Comparable as a tightly integrated ecosystem participant that channels demand and shapes the court's user community.
• U.S. Department of Justice Civil Division: Defends the United States in every case before the Court of Federal Claims, including through its Commercial Litigation Branch. Directly comparable as the universal opposing counsel and the most significant counterparty shaping the court's docket and procedural norms.

Regional players

• Government Accountability Office: Handles the administrative bid-protest phase that precedes litigation at the Court of Federal Claims. Comparable as the upstream gatekeeper in the federal procurement-dispute pipeline that feeds many of the court's highest-profile cases.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about United States Court of Federal Claims