Government ContractsRSS

  • July 29, 2011

    DHS Must Improve IT Acquisition Process: GAO Report

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security should make better use of outside, independent reviews to prevent cost overruns in its information technology programs, according to a U.S. Government Accountability Office report published Thursday.

  • July 29, 2011

    Wash., SC Sue NRC To Force Yucca Nuclear Decision

    South Carolina and Washington state asked the D.C. Circuit on Friday to force the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to consider an application for a nuclear waste repository at Nevada's Yucca Mountain following the Obama administration's decision to kill the project.

  • July 29, 2011

    Allergan Hit With Off-Label Marketing FCA Suit

    Caryatid LLC accused Allergan Inc. of False Claims Act violations for marketing eye care drugs for off-label uses in kits it sold to ophthalmologists, some of whom likely filed for federal reimbursement, according to a complaint unsealed Wednesday in Washington.

  • July 29, 2011

    Convicted Ex-Lawmaker Must Amend Ch. 13 Plan

    A bankruptcy judge on Thursday directed former Virginia legislator Phillip A. Hamilton, who was convicted of trading state money for a job at Old Dominion University, and his wife to rework a Chapter 13 plan to repay some of their creditors.

  • July 29, 2011

    Poor Contractor Insurance Oversight Costs US $10M: Audit

    Government mismanagement of a workers' compensation insurance program for contractors in Afghanistan has led to $9.9 million in unnecessary premium payments to Continental Insurance Co. and a failure of the U.S. or contractors to collect up to $58.8 million in rebates, an audit released Thursday said.

  • July 28, 2011

    Paving Co. Head Cops To Bribing Ohio Commissioner

    The head of a Cleveland-area road paving company on Wednesday decided to plead guilty for his role in a sweeping bribery scandal that has implicated several Ohio politicians and judges.

  • July 28, 2011

    5th Circ. Affirms Biodiesel Exec's $3M Fraud Conviction

    The Fifth Circuit on Thursday upheld a Mississippi biodiesel company head's conviction for defrauding a U.S. Department of Agriculture alternative fuel subsidy program of $3 million.

  • July 28, 2011

    IOM Construction Manager Can't Escape Bribery Charge

    A Washington federal judge on Wednesday rejected an International Organization for Migration construction manager's bid to dismiss charges that he solicited bribes for subcontracts in Afghanistan, finding that the criminal case against the Australian citizen can reach beyond the U.S.

  • July 28, 2011

    Labor Official Steps Down Amid Corruption Scandal

    A high-ranking U.S. Department of Labor official whose job was to help veterans find work has stepped down after an internal investigation found he flouted federal rules to help friends win contracts, the agency said Thursday.

  • July 28, 2011

    Oil Co. Accuses DOD Fuel Contract Partner Of Breaches

    The parent of an oil company hit with a $28.8 million verdict Wednesday in a case brought by a business partner filed suit against him in Florida on Monday, claiming he took kickbacks, pocketed funds and breached fiduciary duties while helping execute a U.S. defense contract.

  • July 28, 2011

    Pentagon Moves Ahead On Acquisition Reforms

    A U.S. Department of Defense official said Wednesday that the Pentagon was 18 to 24 months away from completing reforms aimed at increasing efficiency in procurements to funnel savings toward more productive programs.

  • July 28, 2011

    White House Unveils Federal Spending Watchdog

    The White House on Thursday launched a new panel to root out fraud and waste in federal programs and make government spending data more accessible to the public.

  • July 28, 2011

    Dems Push Contractor Political Donation Disclosures

    House Democrats on Thursday urged President Barack Obama to sign an executive order that would require companies seeking government contracts to disclose political contributions, a plan Republicans fiercely oppose on the grounds that it would inject politics into contracting.

  • July 28, 2011

    Lawmakers Aim To End Warzone Security Contracts

    Democrats in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives introduced legislation Wednesday aimed at ending the use of private security contractors in war zones, saying U.S. troops should take back control of inherently governmental missions.

  • July 28, 2011

    Senate Panel OKs Harsher Public Corruption Penalties

    The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved a bill co-sponsored by Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, that aims to provide prosecutors with stronger tools for tackling public corruption.

  • July 28, 2011

    HHS Lacks Tools To Fight Medicare Waste: Officials

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services lacks the tools to reduce and recover improper Medicare payments, which totaled a staggering $48 billion last year, federal officials told the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in a hearing Thursday.

  • July 28, 2011

    Health Co. Sued Over Fraud Says US Destroyed Evidence

    Universal Health Services Inc. asked a Virginia federal court Wednesday to sanction the U.S. for allegedly destroying Equal Employment Opportunity Commission documents that could potentially help the company defend against accusations it submitted false Medicaid claims for youth treatment services.

  • July 28, 2011

    US Seeks Up To 15 Years For Convicted Va. Lawmaker

    Prosecutors urged a Virginia federal court Wednesday to send a former state legislator to prison for up to 15 years for trading state money for a job at Old Dominion University, saying "his insidious and shameful conduct" merited severe punishment.

  • July 27, 2011

    Medtronic Escapes Fraud Claims In Whistleblower Suit

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Wednesday threw out two whistleblowers' False Claims Act fraud allegations against Medtronic Inc. accusing it of promoting biliary stents for off-label use, but preserved one former employee’s retaliation claims.

  • July 27, 2011

    Demoted Army Corps Whistleblower Wins $1M Payout

    A former U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employee has reached a $970,000 settlement in her Washington suit accusing the agency of demoting her after she objected to the award of a no-compete $7 billion contract to a Halliburton Co. unit, a whistleblower group said Tuesday.