The Project on Government Oversight (POGO) maintains a useful tool for researchers. The organization’s Federal Contractor Misconduct Database includes information on federal contractors with histories of contract fraud, environmental, ethics or labor violations. The database, which includes records of misconduct involving top federal contractors between 1995 and the present, is compiled from a number of sources including documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), court records and official government reports.
Use the database to find instances of misconduct (organized by contractor) and a total amount paid in misconduct-related fines or legal settlements.
The database provides an overview of each misconduct issue, summarizes the resolution and provides a link to its source material. As an example, here is how the web site detailed a 1996 age discrimination matter involving Lockheed Martin:
The database has been used by news outlets to highlight government contractors with histories of misconduct. In September 2013, Raleigh, NC-based WNCN reported that the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services contracted Accenture, a management consulting company tasked with the implementation of the state’s computerized food stamp distribution program. The program faced criticism for failing to deliver food stamps to recipients in a timely manner - food banks complained that food stamp recipients were dependent on the services of their organizations due to the inefficiency of the program. Based on information obtained from the federal contractor misconduct database, WNCN reported that Accenture had a long history of alleged misconduct, including accusations that the company was frequently over budget and behind schedule.
Additionally, in June 2013, the database was referenced in a Washington Examiner article that reported a court judgment had been issued against federal contractor United Technologies Corporation and in favor of the government. The Court ruled that the company’s Pratt & Whitney Division overcharged the US Air Force for jet engines. The company was ordered to pay nearly $1 billion in fees to the government. POGO’s database indicated the company had resolved 17 misconduct instances and $931.8 million in misconduct penalties since 1995.