Contractors Can Review and Object to Public Release of Information in FAPIIS

On January 3, 2012, the FAR Council issued a final rule to implement a congressional mandate that the public have access to all information (excluding past performance reviews) in the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System ("FAPIIS"), which was created in 2010 as a one-stop shop for contracting officers to review information about contractors' business ethics, integrity, and performance.  In response to concerns raised about the disclosure of a contractor's proprietary and confidential information, the final rule added a requirement that contractors be given a seven-calendar-day review period to object to the public release of information on the grounds that such information is exempt from disclosure under FOIA.