BP Among 3,800 Firms Temporarily Barred By Obama Administration From Federal Contracting (Record)
The Obama administration has temporarily barred more than 3,800 contractors from winning new federal work so far in 2012, the most on record.
BP Plc (BP/) made the U.S. government’s blacklist last month after being suspended for its role in the biggest oil spill in the nation’s history. A Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp. unit in Texas was banned for about nine weeks after it hired a former government employee who shared sensitive information about a pending technology project.
The increase in companies and individuals suspended and proposed for debarments comes as federal agencies review contracts that surged during two wars. Also contributing to the record rebukes are pressure from Congress to weed out fraud, and companies that may be snitching on each other as they fight for a shrinking pool of awards.
Agencies are “absolutely behaving more aggressively and the numbers show that,” said Rob Burton, a former acting administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy during the George W. Bush administration and now a partner at Venable LLP in Washington. “Contractors are also playing the role of whistle-blowers a little more than they used to. You’re always out to kill your competitor, right? But I’ve seen more of it lately.”
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-20/obama-expels-bp-record-number-of-firms-from-contracting.html