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Heavy construction company Kerr Contractors Inc. announced today that it has challenged in federal court a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decision that Kerr wasn’t qualified for a project.

The Corps awarded the Tillamook Jetty contract to Kiewit Pacific after determining that Kerr’s equipment wasn’t suited for the job. Kerr disputes that determination and has filed an claim in the United States Court of Federal Claims, the court that handles bid protests for federal contracts.

Brent Kerr, Kerr Contractor’s president, said in a statement that his company did three other jetty projects for the Corps, using special attachments to excavators on each. The company proposed to use the same type of attachments for this project, which involved placing stones to repair the jetty.

Kerr’s proposal came in $4.8 million below Kiewit’s: $11.3 million versus $16.1 million, according to the statement.

A Corp of Engineers spokesman said he couldn’t comment on the details of the case. A Kiewit spokesman also declined to comment, citing court rules.

This isn’t Kerr’s first challenge of a contract award this year. In February, the company filed a formal appeal with the Port of Portland over a runway extension contract at Portland International Airport that went to Wildish Standard Paving.

Kerr’s appeal claimed that Wildish had underbid on the project.