New Year’s Tips for Government Contractors

With the amount of criticism being directed at contractors from agencies, watchdog organizations, and Congress, and with agency inspector general offices and the Department of Justice receiving ever-greater resources and missions, we predict that investigators will be under enormous pressure to find fraud and other malfeasance, but they will have less time to carefully consider what actually has occurred, and the contractor’s side of the story.

Two resolutions to consider. First, to more aggressively anticipate and consider compliance issues, and to make a clear, written record of doing so, in order that, when the investigator (inevitably) comes calling, his questions can be quickly and conclusively addressed. And, second, to promote employee awareness of current compliance and mandatory disclosure requirements, so as to ensure that compliance issues are surfaced and addressed at the earliest possible times.