Agency Responsible for Weather-Related Damage to Equipment, Even Though Damage Occurred After Equipment Was Released to Contractor; CBCA 6078, Outback Firefighting Inc. v. Department of Agriculture

Appeal of the agency’s denial of a claim seeking costs to repair damage to equipment rented by the agency is granted, where the damage occurred after the agency demobilized from the work site but before the contractor had time to retrieve the equipment, and where the agency was liable for rental payment—and therefore damage—until the equipment arrived at the vendor’s facility.