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Selected Agencies Use of Criminal Background Checks for Determining Responsibility

GAO-07-215R Published: Jan 12, 2007. Publicly Released: Feb 12, 2007.
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Highlights

This letter and its enclosure respond to the Congressional request for information on selected executive agencies' policies and practices for making responsibility determinations before awarding contracts. Congress requested this information because of its continued concern for effective pre-contract screening to reduce fraudulent activities by contractors. On the basis of discussions, GAO's objectives were to (1) identify agency policies and practices for making contractor responsibility assessments, and determine under what conditions agencies conduct criminal background checks, (2) determine how contracting officers use the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) to make responsibility assessments and identify planned improvements to the system, if any, and (3) determine the number of fraud investigations in which the contractor or principals had a prior criminal background.

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Background investigationsContract administrationCriminal background checksEligibility determinationsFraudGovernment contractsPolicy evaluationPolicies and proceduresContracting officersFraud, Waste and Abuse