Over 30 Years of Experience

Phillipa L. Anderson retired from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in 2015 as a member of the Senior Executive Service and after 33 years of service in the Office of General Counsel (OGC). During her tenure, she was awarded the Meritorious Executive Presidential Rank Award and represented VA in 1000s of contract dispute matters, resolving more than 90% using alternative dispute resolution (ADR). She also developed training modules for contract administrators across the country.

As the Assistant General Counsel Phillipa was VA’s chief in-house counsel for VA’s multi-billion dollar purchases of pharmaceuticals; information technology hardware and software, and services; medical, surgical, and prosthetic equipment; services, as well as construction and leasing of property. She was also responsible for representing VA before the General Accountability Office (GAO) on bid protest matters and the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals (CBCA) on contract dispute matters. Her staff was made up of more than 55 attorneys and was responsible for policy oversight and mentoring of more than 50 procurement attorneys in OGC’s 23 Regional Offices.

Phillipa served as VA’s representative to the U.S. Administrative Conference on Alternative Disputes Resolution; Vice-Chair, Construction Claims Committee, Public Contract Law Section, American Bar Association; served as a panel member for the Nash & Cibinic Roundtable and the Board of Contract Appeals Association’s annual conference; and was a faculty member of the Department of Justice’s Legal Education Institute. Phillipa has lectured extensively as well as written numerous articles on a myriad of procurement topics.

Prior to joining VA, Phillipa was a staff attorney for the administrative judges at the General Services Administration Board of Contract Appeals. She began her career with Westinghouse Electric Corporation. There she was a member of a special team assigned to negotiate the Consolidated Edison Co. of New York uranium settlement valued at more than 70 million dollars, a case that became the subject of numerous business articles and a book.

She received her B.A. from Tulane University and her J.D. from the National Law Center of George Washington University, with emphasis in Government Procurement. Phillipa is a member of the South Carolina Bar.

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