2024-08-22 OIG Letter to EPA Contractors

(SEE ATTACHMENT FOR PDF COPY OF THE LETTER BELOW)

OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

August 22, 2024

Dear EPA contractors:

Consistent with our statutory duty under the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, to prevent and detect fraud, waste, and abuse relating to the programs and operations of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the EPA Office of Inspector General is contacting entities with EPA contracts to remind them of certain responsibilities. Specifically, as detailed below, as a contractor with the EPA, you must understand and adhere to statutory and regulatory requirements pertaining to reporting suspected fraud and other improper conduct and providing that information to your employees.

The Federal Acquisition Regulation, or FAR, and the EPA Acquisition Regulation, or EPAAR, set forth requirements for EPA acquisitions and contractors. Accordingly, we remind you of the following FAR and EPAAR provisions:

• Pursuant to 48 C.F.R. § 3.1002, all government contractors must conduct themselves with the highest degree of integrity and honesty.

• Pursuant to 48 C.F.R. §§ 3.1004 and 52.203-13, depending on the value and the length of the performance period of your contract, you may be subject to the Contractor Code of Business Ethics and Conduct, which requires contractors to disclose to the OIG, in a timely manner and in writing, credible evidence of violations of federal criminal law involving fraud, conflict of interest, bribery, or gratuity violations, or a violation of the civil False Claims Act. These mandatory disclosures can be made through the EPA OIG website.

• Pursuant to 48 C.F.R. § 3.1003, regardless of whether a contract with the EPA includes the Contractor Code of Business Ethics and Conduct, a contractor may be suspended or debarred for knowingly failing to disclose to the government in a timely manner credible evidence of the statutory violations listed above.

• Pursuant to 48 C.F.R. §§ 1503.1004 and...