It’s common to think that it’s impossible to get fired from the federal government, but one San Diego civil servant who supported the Naval Information Warfare Center found that wasn’t the case. Kickbacks in excess of over $60,000, personal gifts, jobs for friends and families, and tickets to sporting events are a surefire way to not only get fired as a Contracting Officer Representative, but also get prosecuted. Bribery, fraud, and government contracting have a way of bringing multiple agencies like Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Small Business Administration – Office of Inspector General, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, Naval Audit Service and Defense Contract Audit Agency together for a joint cause.
Federal government and contractor relationships are often naturally close – working together towards a common goal has a way of doing that. But because fraud exists, it’s better to be careful when you want to pick up the lunch or Starbucks tab. Better to be safe than sorry in order to avoid even a hint of scandal.
“Bribery and public corruption have no place in government contracting, and will be aggressively investigated and prosecuted,” said Acting United States Attorney Randy S. Grossman.
“Conspiring to fraudulently use government programs for personal gain will not be tolerated,” said SBA OIG’s Western Region Special Agent in Charge Weston King. “OIG will aggressively root out fraud to protect the integrity of these programs. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and commitment to seeing justice served.”
Layoffs Impacting the Cleared Industry
| TECT Aerospace | While operations will continue during Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings, the Boeing supplier TECT Aerospace is able to keep the doors open and reorganize with $60.2 million in financing from Boeing. Boeing is also helping to find a buyer for their Everett-based factory. TECT Aerospace is a key player in Boeing’s supply chain, assembling fuselage structures, wing components, landing gear structures, struts, and nacelles. With production of the 737 Max at much lower levels since before it was grounded in 2019, the effects of COVID-19 were the final factor in the aerospace supply chain.
TECT explained in a statement, “Following fifteen months of diligent work with its lenders, customers, and suppliers and after exhausting all efforts to restructure out of court, TECT has concluded that an orderly and organized Chapter 11 proceeding is in the best interest of its creditors.” While layoffs have been heavy around the aerospace industry, without an increase in production, bankruptcies, layoffs, or furloughs are the next step. |
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Hiring impacting the Cleared Industry
| BAE | Whether your skill set lies in welding, cyber, or intelligence, BAE Systems Inc has over 500 Top Secret open positions and over 300 open Secret positions. With career events like the Blue Collar Security Clearance Event happening this week, the jobs supporting national security are varied. So whether you want to be a cleared welder or an intelligence analyst, BAE has open positions.
Ongoing contract work – like redesign of the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) will pave the way for a new era of major, high-powered, mechanized warfare. |
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Cleared Employer at Work: AMAZON
Opportunity to Watch
DARPA gets three contractors for its Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) program. General Atomics, Blue Origin, and Lockheed Martin were selected for the program that’s goal is to demonstrate a nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) system above low Earth. The technology is slated for 2025 completion. Each company will be responsible for a different track in Phase One, working independently from one another.
While rapid maneuver is a DoD capability for land, sea, and air, the DRACO program seeks to bring that capability to the space domain. Increased agility between the Earth and moon have been a DoD goal.
“The performer teams have demonstrated capabilities to develop and deploy advanced reactor, propulsion, and spacecraft systems,” said Maj Nathan Greiner, USAF, program manager for DRACO. “The NTP technology we seek to develop and demonstrate under the DRACO program aims to be foundational to future operations in space.”
