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Federal Contractor Misconduct
Related Resources (government documents and letters)
POGO Files
Federal Government’s Largest FY2010 Contractors Paid Billions in Fines, Penalties
September 29, 2011
POGO Urges Public Disclosure of Contractor Past Performance Data
September 29, 2011
Deloitte, UPS Join Top 100 Largest Federal Contractors
September 29, 2011
POGO Argues Public Deserves to Know Whether Contractor Misconduct Reporting Rule Has Been Effective
August 25, 2011
Take it from the Top: Ten Contracting Behemoths Pull in 25 Percent of All Federal Contract Dollars
June 21, 2011
POGO Urges Public Access to Contractor Past Performance and Pre-April 15th FAPIIS Data
March 25, 2011
Podcast: How Bad Performance Can Be Good for Business in Government Contracting POGO's Scott Amey dishes out a post-mortem on a recent Commission on Wartime Contracting hearing--at which he testified--on contractor accountability.
March 7, 2011
POGO Provides Post-hearing Supplemental Materials to the Commission on Wartime Contracting
March 7, 2011
U.S.Government Rarely Suspends or Debars Those Responsible for Billions in Tax Dollars Lost to Fraud, Waste, Abuse in War Zones
February 28, 2011
Testimony of POGO's Scott Amey on Deficient Contractor Accountability Leaves Agencies and Taxpayers at Risk
February 28, 2011
Commercial Item Exceptions Must be Eliminated From New Suspension and Debarment Rule
February 11, 2011
Should Debarred Contractors Be Allowed to Build Military Aircraft?
February 11, 2011
Dog Bites Man in Pentagon Contracting Fraud Report
February 3, 2011
Obama Administration Plan to Open Contractor Database to Public Fails to Provide Full Access to Responsibility Histories
January 24, 2011
An Agency Reborn Joins Contractor Ethics Debate
January 14, 2011
DoD Needs to Expand Proposed Award Fee Rule
January 11, 2011
New Law Paves the Way for Public Review of Contractor Data
August 4, 2010
Senate Considers Improvements to FAPIIS
May 12, 2010
Lockheed Still Tops Misconduct Charts, But No Misconduct Pattern for Over a Third of Top Gov't Contractors
April 23, 2010
POGO Letter Urging GSA to Improve Contractor Listings
April 22, 2010
POGO's FAPIIS Fee Waiver Request
April 21, 2010
POGO Requests Concealed Contractor Information
April 21, 2010
POGO joins letter to President Obama urging needed contractor reforms
February 26, 2010
POGO Supports Intent of "High Road" Contracting Policies
February 26, 2010
POGO raises concerns about new contractor database
November 5, 2009
Majority of Top Contractors Could be Defunded by House Legislation A survey of data from POGO's Federal Contractor Misconduct Database shows that 62 federal contractors have been involved in instances that might prohibit them from receiving future federal funds if the "Defund ACORN Act" becomes law.
September 29, 2009
List of Contractors That Could be Defunded as a Result of Anti-ACORN Bill
September 29, 2009
POGO's Updated Federal Contractor Misconduct Database: Lockheed Martin Leads In Contracts and Penalties
April 21, 2009
POGO's Scott Amey Testifies on Hill about Suspension and Debarment System Failures
February 26, 2009
POGO Calls for Ban on Risky Contractors in Hill Testimony
February 26, 2009
POGO Releases Previously Unavailable Government Report Detailing Recommendations to Reduce Procurement Fraud
January 12, 2009
Myths about a Federal Contractor Responsibility Database
October 15, 2008
President Bush Signs Law Creating Contractor Responsibility Database; POGO's Database Extended to Top 100 Contractors
October 15, 2008
Protest of Latest Deepwater Contract Confirms Need for Contractor Responsibility Database
October 10, 2008
Defense Contractor Pleads Guilty in Bribery Scheme
June 4, 2008
POGO Proposes Additional Improvements To Ensure That Contractors Have A Satisfactory Performance Record
June 2, 2008
Flawed Thunderbirds Contract Tainted with Improper Influence
April 18, 2008
Feds Reverse Course: Some Crime Not OK
April 3, 2008
7-Day Itch
April 3, 2008
7-Day Itch
April 3, 2008
Government Subpoenas Result in Suspension for IBM
April 1, 2008
Testimony of POGO's Scott Amey on the Status of Contracting Reform
February 27, 2008
POGO makes comment on Contractor Compliance Program and Integrity Reporting POGO supports contractor compliance program and integrity reporting, but the proposed rule’s mandatory reporting requirement must be clarified and expanded to require contractors to disclose a broader array of unethical conduct.
January 14, 2008
POGO Releases Federal Contractor Misconduct Database
July 18, 2007
Testimony of POGO's Scott Amey on "Federal Contracting: Why Do Risky Contractors Keep Getting Rewarded With Taxpayer Dollars?" POGO's response to post hearing questions supporting H.R. 3033 and
July 18, 2007
Contracting association opposes H.R. 3033
An Open Letter to the United States Senate: Support a Full Accounting of Federal Grants!
June 6, 2006
POGO Comment on Boeing Settlement
May 15, 2006
Suspension and debarment: The record shows that the system is broken Not surprisingly, many federal suspension and debarment officials have claimed the system is working. It's not. Critics of the contractor suspension and debarment system, including the Project On Government Oversight for which I work, have made a strong case that the system is in disarray, is stacked heavily against small contractors, and is applied subjectively. According to the government's own data, of the 43,000 individuals, businesses and contractors currently banned from doing future business with the government, none is a large contractor. In the past, POGO has illustrated the application of the suspension and debarment system in favor of large contractors. POGO's research found that from 1990 to 2003, the top 10 federal contractors had a total of 280 instances of misconduct or alleged misconduct and paid more than $2.97 billion in fines, penalties, restitution, settlements and cleanup costs. POGO sent Freedom of Information Act requests to 12 agencies for suspension or debarment records regarding their top contractors. Although POGO found multiple instances of contractor misconduct for many of those contractors, only one agency responded that it had records indicating that the specified contractors were ever considered for suspension or debarment. As a side note, one agency — the Agriculture Department — is still processing POGO's 2001 FOIA request. … The suspension and debarment system clearly does not work, and the government needs to do more than deny the problem — the American public must be protected from risky contractors, both large and small.
March 21, 2005
Government's Timeout System Needs Reform
March 4, 2005
Government Should Consider Suspending Halliburton Contracts
August 18, 2004
Pentagon Auditor Calls for Halliburton to be Financially Penalized until it Accounts for Taxpayer Dollars
August 16, 2004
Government Considers Barring CACI Contracts
May 28, 2004
GSA's Deal with WorldCom: Bad Business for Taxpayers
January 8, 2004
Testimony of POGO's Danielle Brian on "Contractor Debarment and Suspension: A Broken System," before the George Washington Law School
November 20, 2003
Boeing's Rap Sheet
June 9, 2003
Federal Contractor Misconduct: Failures of the Suspension and Debarment System Many of the U.S. government's largest contractors have been found to have repeatedly broken the law or engaged in misconduct, according to POGO's investigation. However, they are never even temporarily suspended, let alone debarred, from gaining additional government contracts, contrary to Reagan/Bush era laws. POGO's research found that, since 1990, 43 of the government's top contractors paid approximately $3.4 billion in fines/penalties, restitution, and settlements. Furthermore, four of the top 10 government contractors have at least two criminal convictions. And yet, only one of the top 43 contractors has been suspended or debarred from doing business with the government, and then, for only five days. Our report includes recommendations to improve the system to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not awarded to contractors with long rap sheets.
May 10, 2002
Related Resources
Contractor Performance and Suspensions in Iraq and Afghanistan, Panel 1
C-Span, Video Library
February 28, 2011
Sen. McCaskill (D-MO) introduces Senate companion bill for "Contractor and Federal Spending Accountability Act"
Press Office of Rep. Maloney and Senator McCaskill,
April 23, 2008
House panel weighs contracting reform legislation
By Elizabeth Newell, Government Executive
February 26, 2008
Review of GSA’s Suspension and Debarment Program
, GSA Report Number A070105/O/A/F08004
December 20, 2007
DHS Compilation of Contractor Performance Databases
Elaine C. Duke, Chief Procurement Officer, Department of Homeland Security
August 7, 2007
GAO Letter - Responses to Post Hearing Questions: GSA Contractors Who Cheat on Their Taxes and What Should Be Done about It
Government Accountability Office, GAO
April 21, 2006
Thousands of GSA Contractors Abuse the Federal Tax System
, Government Accountability Office
March 14, 2006
Written Testimony of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue Service, Mark Everson, on Federal Contractors Who Cheat on Their Taxes
, Internal Revenue Service
March 14, 2006
Statement of Kathleen M. Turco, Acting Deputy Administrator, U.S. General Services Administration, on Contractors Who Abuse the Federal Tax System
, General Services Administration
March 14, 2006
POGO in the News
The Record: Letters, Dec. 20, 2011, Paula Rogovin, NorthJersey.com, December 20, 2011
Siemens Pivots To Thrive In US After Bribery Settlement, Samuel Rubenfeld, The Wall Street Journal, December 15, 2011
Repeal of contractor tax withholding is sign of economic times, With POGO's Scott Amey, FederalNewsRadio.com, October 28, 2011
Repeal of 3 percent contractor tax withholding gathers steam, Charles S. Clark, Government Executive (govexec.com), October 24, 2011
Lawmakers push Defense fraud, waste report to influence supercommittee cuts, John T. Bennett, The Hill, October 23, 2011
Army Corps bribery arrests praised by lawmakers, Charles S. Clark, Government Executive (govexec.com), October 5, 2011
Medicare Decides It Takes a Thief to Catch a Thief, Reuben Guttman, Accounting Today, July 29, 2011
Contractor accused of negligence in soldier deaths, Richard Lardner, Associated Press, Business Week, July 12, 2011
Small-Town Mayor Claims Funding For Firehouse Held Up By Opposition To Mining , Marcus Baram, The Huffington Post, June 15, 2011
‘Guest Worker’ Trafficking: Can the Feds Really Deal With the Problem?, Mike Elk, In These Times, May 27, 2011
Delinquent government contractors, Nancy Marshall Genzer, American Public Media; Marketplace, May 24, 2011
Earl Industries' $75M Navy contract: What went wrong?, Robert McCabe, The Virginian-Pilot, May 16, 2011
Gov't Paying Firm Lodged With Job Discrimination Suit, , WBALTV; 11 Investigates I-Team, May 12, 2011
Flap over FAPIIS: Site meant to disclose contractor performance ‘worst ... ever', Sarah Chacko, Federal Times, May 12, 2011
Sunshine advocates criticize government contractor database, By Joseph Marks, NextGov, May 3, 2011
BP Still Being Awarded Lucrative Government Contracts, By Jason Leopold, Truthout; The Public Record, April 21, 2011
GovCon Recon: Apr. 19: Gates Looks at More Cuts; DOD Weapons Program Report; NASA Provides Funding, , GovWin; A Deltek Network, April 19, 2011
Big Break For Big Oil, Larger Burden For Taxpayers, By Aaron Mehta, The Huffington Post; iWatch News, April 15, 2011
Contractor database goes public - with limits, By Sarah Chacko, Federal Times, April 15, 2011
O'Keefe vs. NPR: Round One Goes to the Kid, By Brian Palmer, The Huffington Post, March 14, 2011
Wartime panel: Get tougher on bad contractors, By Sarah Chacko, Federal Times, March 6, 2011
What POGO learned from a contracting panel, By Matthew Weigelt, Federal Computer Week, March 4, 2011
OFPP's Gordon shy about opening meeting results, By Matthew Weigelt, Federal Computer Week (fcw.com), March 2, 2011
Report: Wartime Contractors Waste, Steal Tens Of Billions -- Then Come Back For More, By Dan Froomkin, The Huffington Post, February 28, 2011
Bumpy road to Boeing tanker contract, By Steve Giegerich, St. Louis Today, February 26, 2011
Why Should Firms That Spied on Unions Keep Government Contracts?, By Mike Elk, In These Times, February 24, 2011
Contractors nervous about public access to database of past problems, By Marjorie Censer, The Washington Post, February 21, 2011
In the Dark: Crimes, Capital Crimes, And GE Capital Crimes, By Richard (RJ) Eskow , The Huffington Post, February 10, 2011
POGO argues for release of past-performance information, By Matthew Weigelt, Federal Computer Week; FCW.com, January 28, 2011
Fed contractors' history could be open to public in April, By Matthew Weigelt and Alice Lipowicz, Washington Technology, January 24, 2011
Tomgram: William Hartung, Lockheed Martin's Shadow Government, By Tom Engelhardt, OEN: opednews.com, January 11, 2011
Some Government Contractors are Too Big to be Banned, By Noel Brinkerhoff and David Wallechinsky, AllGov.com, December 20, 2010
Federal Contractors Under Scrutiny, By Heide B. Malhotra, The Epoch Times, October 5, 2010
More Contracts Flood KBR (KBR) with Cash Despite a Questionable Reputation, By Leo Sun, Investorguide.com, September 23, 2010
Contractor performance data to become public, By Tom Spoth, Federal Times.com, August 6, 2010
Industry group fears publicizing contractor database could backfire, By Robert Brodsky, Government Executive, August 6, 2010
New law puts contractor performance in the public spotlight, By Matthew Weigelt, Washington Technology, August 5, 2010
New law requires OMB to post information on contractors, By Aliya Sternstein, Nextgov; Technology And The Business Of Government, August 4, 2010
Contractor Misconduct Database updated, With Suzanne Kubota, Federal News Radio 1500 AM, April 27, 2010
Watchdog group seeks better-quality contract data, By Tom Spoth, Federal Times.com, April 23, 2010
A missed opportunity for accountablity from the Obama administration, By Matthew Weigelt, Federal Computer Week, March 24, 2010
Acquisition councils create database to track contractor misdeeds, By Elizabeth Newell, Government Executive, March 23, 2010
Government Contractors' Free Ride Is Over; Serious accountability is here to stay at last., By POGO's Scott Amey and Danielle Brian, Forbes.com; Ethisphere, March 16, 2010
The Nation: The Contractor Scofflaws, By William Greider, National Public Radio (NPR), March 8, 2010
Flawed Nuke Detection Program Dialed-Back by DHS, By Tom Burghardt, Pacific Free Press, February 28, 2010
Should better paying contractors have a competitive advantage?, By Matthew Weigelt, Washington Technology, February 26, 2010
POGO: Contracting executive order a positive step, With Chris Dorobek and Amy Morris, Federal News Radio, January 21, 2010
Contract cons can exploit Transportation delay, By Jim McElhatton, Washington Times, January 13, 2010
Why Is the Government Paying Companies Fined for Pollution and Accused of Fraud?, By Will Evans, California Watch/AlterNet, January 11, 2010
Obama Promise #30, By Wes Allison, St. Petersburg Times; PolitiFact.com, January 6, 2010
The Federal Drive, With Tom Temin & Jane Norris, Tuesday Morning Federal Newscast (WFED), November 10, 2009
New contractor database draws fire, By Alice Lipowicz, Federal Computer Week, November 9, 2009
Two stimulus contractors suspended from government work, By Marcus Green, Louisville Courier-Journal, November 9, 2009
Stimulus dollars going to accused contractors, By Kimberly Kindy, The Washington Post, October 29, 2009
Stimulus Contracts Go to Companies Under Criminal Investigation, By Michael Grabell, ProPublica, October 25, 2009
Defense firms in probe received $30M in stimulus money, By Michael Grabell, ProPublica, USA Today, October 25, 2009
The Acorn Standard, By Jeremy Scahill, The Nation, October 14, 2009
Pentagon Fraud and the ACORN Standard, , Los Angeles Chronicle, October 2, 2009
Its Not Just ACORN, Says Congressman Grayson, By Katherine Wells, The Huffington Post, October 2, 2009
Bills to Defund ACORN Face Legal Hurdles, Experts Say, , FoxNews.com, October 1, 2009
ACORN to lose funding?, With Dylan Ratigan, MSNBC TV Morning Meeting, October 1, 2009
ACORN Donations Dwindle In Wake Of Videos, by Pam Fessler, NPR, All Things Considered, October 1, 2009
Defunding ACORN faces surprise hurdles, By Stephan Dinan, The Washington Times, September 30, 2009
Congress Cracks Down on Defense Fraud: But it was just by accident, By Ken Silverstein, Harper’s’ Magazine, September 30, 2009
OOPS! The ACORN Ban Could Snag Lockheed & Catholic Charities, By Laura Flanders, The Nation Magazine; Blog: The Notion, September 25, 2009
Editorial: If you thought ACORN was bad ..., , Dallas Morning News, September 23, 2009
Contractor integrity, performance to face higher level of scrutiny, By Jason Miller, Federal News Radio, September 4, 2009
How Federal Contracts Waste Taxpayers' Money, , Parade Magazine, July 19, 2009
SAIC faces challenge in False Claims defense, By Alice Lipowicz, Washington Technology, July 8, 2009
GAO: Despite efforts, gaps remain in data on contractors, By Elizabeth Newell , Government Executive, May 27, 2009
Lockheed lands atop ranking in defense dollars, misconduct cases, By Richard Burnett, The Orlando Sentinel, April 23, 2009
POGO Updates Contractor Misconduct Database, , Defense Industry Daily/Online, April 22, 2009
Group updates federal contractor misconduct database, By Alice Lipowicz, Washington Technology, April 21, 2009
POGO: Penalized contractors kept winning contracts, By Alice Lipowicz, Washington Technoligy, March 29, 2009
President Orders Review of Federal Contracting System More Competition, Accountability for Procurement Sought, By Scott Wiilson and Robert O'Harrow, Jr., The Washington Post, March 5, 2009
Obama Supports Acquisition Reform Bill, By John M. Doyle, Aviation Week, March 5, 2009
When suspending contractors, size - not action - matters, By Elise Castelli, Federal Times, March 2, 2009
More Procurement Reform, By Robert O’Harrow, Washington Post Online, January 13, 2009
Paper urges tougher controls on contractors, By Alice Lipowicz, Federal Computer Week, January 13, 2009
Burnett Tainted by Army Billing Fiasco, By Jeremy Mullman and Ira Teinowitz, AD Age, January 12, 2009
A firm voice on the Hill, By Alice Lipowicz, Washington Technology, January 12, 2009
Contractor watchdog updates misconduct database, By Alice Lipowicz, Washington Technology, November 4, 2008
Annals of Crony Capitalism, Nuke Detection Machines Fail, Again, By Tom Burghardt, Global Research, November 4, 2008
Defense awards more Iraq reconstruction work to contractors cited for poor performance, By Elizabeth Newell, Government Executive, October 28, 2008
List of federal contractors and their misdeeds is just a click away, By Mark Mahoney, Glens Falls Post-Star, October 15, 2008
Abu Ghraib: The Outsourcing of Torture, By Tom Burghardt, Global Research, July 6, 2008
Action Tougher Than Oversight, By Matthew Blake, The Washington Independent, June 17, 2008
Outsourcing The Fight, By P.W. Singer, Forbes.com, June 6, 2008
Access to contractor misconduct database restricted in Senate bill, By Robert Brodsky, Gov Exec, May 21, 2008
Surge of potential acquisition bills, rulemaking spark comments, By Michael Bruno, Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, April 29, 2008
Tracking the Spoils of the Private Sector, Editorial, The New York Times, April 24, 2008
Today's Spotlight: A Contractor Misconduct Database, By Andrew B. Einhorn, Ohmygov.com, April 23, 2008
Maloney Federal Contractor Oversight Bill Passes House; Sen. McCaskill Introduces Companion Legislation, Meghan O’Shaughnessy (Maloney Press Officer), Congressional Documents and Publications U.S. Senate Documents, April 23, 2008
NDIA Works To Kill Contractor-Misdeed Database, By William Matthews, Defense News, April 15, 2008
IBM Bid Suspension Rattles Contractors; Influence, By Jeff Horwitz, Legal Times, April 14, 2008
EG&G deal: Contractor won HAFB missile contract despite poor record, By Matthew D. LaPlante, The Salt Lake Tribune, April 9, 2008
Ban on IBM contracting is lifted, By Elise Castelli, Federal Times, April 4, 2008
Turn Yourselves In, By Elizabeth Newell, Government Executive, April 1, 2008
U.S. used suspended security firm, By Jim McElhatton, Washington Times, March 31, 2008
GSA’s Alliant exemplifies common problem, By Elise Castelli, Federal Times, March 23, 2008
