The Federal False Claims Act (FCA) is in place to avoid and deter fraud against the United States Government. When employees, or other protected third parties (qui tam relator), bring a lawsuit (qui tam lawsuit) in federal court, if the relator prevails, he or she can recover a percentage of… Read more »
Traditional Criminal Defense Contractor Lawyers Are Not Usually Trained In Government Contracts and Procurement Laws Without a Criminal Defense Attorney that Knows Government Contracting Inside and Out, Finding a Good Government Contractor Fraud Defense Lawyer to Defend Your Rights in a Government Contract Fraud Case Can be Risky. Many Cases… Read more »
Government contractors facing federal investigations from the Office of Inspector General (OIG), DOJ or some other law enforcement agency should understand the basics of grand jury indictments and how the criminal process can impact the company. When the federal prosecutors finish their investigation, they can bring further charges by moving… Read more »
Avoid Liability for HUBZone Fraud and False Claims Act Violations Small businesses seeking to avoid liability for HUBZone fraud should develop internal policies and controls that focus on compliance with SBA rules and regulations. More and more companies are finding themselves subject to False Claims Act violations and civil and… Read more »
Establishing and proving Federal False Claims Act elements and defenses in government investigations and litigation can make the difference in winning or being an open target for prison time or hefty civil fines. The False Claims Act, 31 USC 3729, is the government’s favorite legal tool to prosecute and impose… Read more »
By Theodore P. Watson, Esq Federal Contract Qui Tam Defense Lawyers. A Qui Tam lawsuit involving United States government contracts can be a traumatic experience. There are many targeted individuals and contractors who end up with guilty verdicts in criminal cases or paying thousands or millions in civil fines without even… Read more »
Avoid Costly Mistakes in Government OIG Investigations Theodore P. Watson, Esquire. As it relates to government contracting and federal procurement, various agencies have Office of Investigations departments ( SBA OIG, VA OIG, and DOJ OIG), otherwise known as the Office of Inspector General (OIG), that conduct civil, criminal, and administrative… Read more »
What is the government contract fraud investigation process? By understanding the basic rules of engagement, federal contractors can minimize criminal liability and hefty fines. By Theodore Watson, Esq. The procurement fraud investigation process often starts at the contracting officer (CO) level either during the award or performance stages. Under FAR Part… Read more »
Tips on How to Challenge a HUBZone Small Business Contract Award Through A Bid Protest or Appeal By Cheryl E. Adams, Esq. You may need to beat a competitor’s price by 10% to win a government contract, if your firm is not an SBA certified HUBZone small business concern. Also,… Read more »
Deciding on whether to file a Court of Federal Claims bid protest versus GAO protest or the agency-level protest can be tricky too many government contractors. At the end of the day, many contractors seeking to save revenues worth millions of dollars find that closing bridges or giving up rights… Read more »