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Contractor's Report to OIG Insufficient to Trigger Public Disclosure Bar

Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 03.27.14

In U.S. ex rel Saunders v. Unisys Corp. (E.D. Va.), the court found that the relator's FCA claim was not precluded by the public disclosure bar despite the defendant providing its internal investigation report to OIG because (1) the report failed to reveal allegations or transactions creating an inference of fraud (its conclusion that the alleged fraudulent billing practices were "unacceptable" was not enough) and (2) it was made available only to the DOD IG and the government agency overseeing the contract and not the general public.


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Client Alert | 4 min read | 09.15.26

GAO Indicates Reasonable Conflict of Interest Investigation Must Include Inquiry of Involved Firm

The U.S. Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) recent decision in Viderity Inc.—Costs, B-424422.5, Sept. 1, 2026, offers useful insight into what constitutes a legally sufficient conflict of interest investigation. The decision arose in an unusual procedural posture: Viderity initially protested, alleging that an agency evaluator had a personal conflict of interest. After the agency took corrective action, Viderity filed a cost entitlement claim requesting that GAO direct the agency to reimburse Viderity’s protest costs. In evaluating that claim, GAO assessed whether Viderity’s underlying protest ground was “clearly meritorious.”...