127 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 17.37 

(q) Other than communications re-

garding purely procedural matters or 
ADR, there shall be no substantive 

ex 

parte 

communication between ODRA 

personnel and any principal or rep-
resentative of a party concerning a 
pending or potentially pending matter. 
A potential or serving ADR neutral 
may communicate on an ex parte basis 
to establish or conduct the ADR. 

Subpart D—Alternative Dispute 

Resolution 

§ 17.35

Use of alternative dispute reso-

lution. 

(a) By statutory mandate, it is the 

policy of the FAA to use voluntary 
ADR to the maximum extent prac-
ticable to resolve matters pending at 
the ODRA. The ODRA therefore uses 
voluntary ADR as its primary means of 
resolving all factual, legal, and proce-
dural controversies. 

(b) The parties are encouraged to 

make a good faith effort to explore 
ADR possibilities in all cases and to 
employ ADR in every appropriate case. 
The ODRA uses ADR techniques such 
as mediation, neutral evaluation, bind-
ing arbitration or variations of these 
techniques as agreed by the parties and 
approved by the ODRA. At the begin-
ning of each case, the ODRA assigns a 
DRO as a potential neutral to explore 
ADR options with the parties and to 
convene an ADR process. See § 17.35(b). 

(c) The ODRA Adjudicative Process 

will be used where the parties cannot 
achieve agreement on the use of ADR; 
where ADR has been employed but has 
not resolved all pending issues in dis-
pute; or where the ODRA concludes 
that ADR will not provide an expedi-
tious means of resolving a particular 
dispute. Even where the Adjudicative 
Process is to be used, the ODRA, with 
the parties’ consent, may employ infor-
mal ADR techniques concurrently with 
the adjudication. 

§ 17.37

Election of alternative dispute 

resolution process. 

(a) The ODRA will make its per-

sonnel available to serve as Neutrals in 
ADR proceedings and, upon request by 
the parties, will attempt to make 
qualified non-FAA personnel available 
to serve as Neutrals through neutral- 

sharing programs and other similar ar-
rangements. The parties may elect to 
employ a mutually acceptable com-
pensated neutral at their expense. 

(b) The parties using an ADR process 

to resolve a protest shall submit an ex-
ecuted ADR agreement containing the 
information outlined in paragraph (d) 
of this section to the ODRA pursuant 
to § 17.17(c). The ODRA may extend this 
time for good cause. 

(c) The parties using an ADR process 

to resolve a contract dispute shall sub-
mit an executed ADR agreement con-
taining the information outlined in 
paragraph (d) of this section to the 
ODRA pursuant to § 17.29. 

(d) The parties to a protest or con-

tract dispute who elect to use ADR 
must submit to the ODRA an ADR 
agreement setting forth: 

(1) The agreed ADR procedures to be 

used; and 

(2) The name of the neutral. If a com-

pensated neutral is to be used, the 
agreement must address how the cost 
of the neutral’s services will be reim-
bursed. 

(e) Non-binding ADR techniques are 

not mutually exclusive, and may be 
used in combination if the parties 
agree that a combination is most ap-
propriate to the dispute. The tech-
niques to be employed must be deter-
mined in advance by the parties and 
shall be expressly described in their 
ADR agreement. The agreement may 
provide for the use of any fair and rea-
sonable ADR technique that is de-
signed to achieve a prompt resolution 
of the matter. An ADR agreement for 
non-binding ADR shall provide for a 
termination of ADR proceedings and 
the commencement of adjudication 
under the Adjudicative Process, upon 
the election of any party. Notwith-
standing such termination, the parties 
may still engage with the ODRA in 
ADR techniques (neutral evaluation 
and/or informal mediation) concur-
rently with adjudication. 

(f) Binding arbitration is available 

through the ODRA, subject to the pro-
visions of applicable law and the ODRA 
Binding Arbitration Guidance dated 
October 2001 as developed in consulta-
tion with the Department of Justice. 

(g) The parties may, where appro-

priate in a given case, submit to the 

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