Booz Allen's San Antonio office faces AF debarment
The Air Force is proposing debarment for the company's San Antonio office after issues arose.
Fresh off the height of being chosen one of San Antonio's "50 Best Places to Work" by the San Antonio Business Journal in 2011, Booz Allen Hamilton's regional office was suspended by the Air Force on Feb. 6.
The information on the suspension was published on the Excluded Parties List System and given an A1 code, meaning that the Air Force is proposing debarment "pursuant to one or more of the causes" listed in the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR).
Four people and the company are listed under the Excluded Parties List System posting.
On Feb. 8, Booz Allen confirmed that the listing relates to two current and three former employees in the Texas office.
Apparently, a former government employee hired by Booz Allen inappropriately retained and shared sensitive information about a pending government procurement.
"The government's current action does not terminate ongoing work under existing contracts; it does, however, affect potential new government business involving that location," the company said in an e-mailed statement today.
The company voluntarily decided not to submit a bid on the procurement, and has since fired the employee and reported the matter to federal authorities.
Debarment under FAR 9.406 excludes a contractor from government contracting and government-approved subcontracting for a reasonable, specified period as indicated by the debarring agency.
According to the Air Force General Counsel Department, suspensions and debarments may be based on a wide variety of misconduct, including but not limited to violations of criminal and civil laws, poor performance of government contracts, misconduct unrelated to government contracts, and general unethical conduct.
"This issue has the highest attention of our management, and Booz Allen holds every employee to the highest standards of ethics and compliance. We will continue to cooperate fully with the Air Force on resolution, are evaluating the operational impacts of this matter and are hopeful the issue will be resolved soon," the statement said.
Booz Allen Hamilton, of McLean, Va., ranks No. 9 on Washington Technology’s 2011 Top 100 list of the largest federal government contractors.