Federal contractors and their employees are gaining extensive new whistleblower protections under a new regulation devised by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Council, the Department of Defense (DoD), the General Services Administration (GSA), and NASA.
The new rule – which goes into effect Nov. 6 – amends previous regulations to provide permanent protection for some information disclosures.
“The rule makes permanent the protection for disclosure of certain information. It also clarifies that the prohibition on reimbursement for legal fees accrued in defense against reprisal claims applies to subcontractors and contractors,” stated the agencies.
Contractors and subcontractors must inform their employees of these new protections.
The new regulation makes permanent a pilot program for enhancement of contractor protection from reprisal for sharing certain information, the agencies said. “This program does not apply to DoD, NASA, or the Coast Guard, where similar permanent enhanced whistleblower protections for contractor employees” were previously put in place, they said.
“Having the clause in all Federal government contracts is beneficial to contractor and subcontractor employees, and the public. Employees benefit from having whistleblower rights and remedies so they can report potential wrongdoing without fear of reprisal,” stated the agencies.
“The public benefits from employees reporting wrongdoing which may result in actions to hold firms responsible for unlawful acts. It is in the best interest of the Government to apply whistleblower protections through a clause in all Federal Government contracts,” they said.
