As one of the largest consumers of goods and services in the world, the United States government is working with an enormous number of contracts on the state, federal and international level every day. Unfortunately, anytime multiple parties are involved in transactions involving large sums of money, there are also ample opportunities for fraud. The Whistleblower Law Collaborative focus on representing whistleblowers determined to set the record straight by bringing fraudulent activity to light.
Procurement Fraud
Government purchasing or public procurement is the purchase of goods or services on behalf of a government agency or public authority. Fraud that targets these kinds of government contracts, generally takes one of the following forms:
- Buy America Act violations — The contractor supplies goods that are advertised and packaged as "Made in America" when they were actually manufactured in another country.
- Bid-rigging — Several companies manipulate the pricing listed on competitively bid contracts.
- Defective goods — The quality or design of the items manufactured and/or delivered do not meet the specifications of the contract.
- Defective workmanship — A contractor does shoddy work on a project, which does not meet the specifications of the contract due to poor quality.
- Failure to deliver — The specifications of an order are not met. For example, 10 items were ordered and only seven were delivered.
- Failure to test — Failure to test the product as required by specifications.
- Overcharging or overpricing — Prices quoted to a government agency are presented as the best prices available from a contractor. However, that same contractor provides another customer a lower price.
Federal and State Contractor Misconduct
The government relies heavily on private contractors to deliver office supplies, manufacturing military equipment, providing disaster relief, cleaning up environmental sites, and working on the construction of government buildings and roads all over the world. Misconduct, including fraudulent activities, could potentially occur anywhere. Regardless of the size of the contract or the kinds of goods or services being provided, if you have information about unethical or illegal behavior, it is in your best interests to speak to a qualified False Claims Act attorney.
Contact the Whistleblower Law Collaborative
The lawyers at Thomas & Associates and Durrell Law Office have joined forces to create the Whistleblower Law Collaborative. The firm serves clients nationwide. Call toll free at 877-341-5952 to arrange a free initial phone consultation with an experienced nationwide government contract fraud attorney located in Boston, Massachusetts.
