Air Force divisions pledge to fight fraud, contractor misconduct

Air Force officials from several internal divisions signed a memorandum of understanding Dec. 9 to tackle fraud in procurement and contractor misconduct.

The Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations, Air Force Contracting and Air Force General Council for Contractor Responsibilities signed the memo.

It formalizes the relationship between the organizations and have them planning and training together to pinpoint problems. It’s designed to strengthen the procurement process and prevent fraud, while helping the service’s overall buying habits.

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“This memorandum solidifies the Air Force contracting partnership with the legal and law enforcement communities to that end,” said Maj. Gen. Wendy Masiello, deputy assistant secretary for the contracting office of the assistant secretary of the Office for Acquisitions, in a news report from the Air Force public affairs office.

The memo deals with one of the challenges in procurement. In the past, agencies didn’t cooperate as they should have in finding and prosecuting offenders. Each agency took care of their own needs, said David Robbins, the assistant deputy general counsel director of the Air Force Office of Procurement Fraud Remedies

Officials are working to correct the problem with the coordination that allows fraud remedies officials to bring Air Force acquisition and contracting officials, who initially buy the goods and services, together with the special investigations office. As a team, they can identify frauds and prosecute them more efficiently.