Whistleblower Protection Program

Pilot Program for Enhancement of Contractor Employee Whistleblower Protections

The National Defense Authorization Act, P.L. 112-239 (PDF) (NDAA) established a pilot program for the enhancement of contractor and subcontractor employee protections from reprisal for whistleblowing.

What is Whistleblowing?

Whistleblowing is the disclosure by a person, usually an employee in a government agency or private enterprise, to the public or to those in authority, of mismanagement, corruption, illegality, or some other wrongdoing.  Specifically:

• Gross mismanagement of a Federal contract or grant;
• The gross waste of Federal funds;
• An abuse of authority relating to a Federal contract or grant;
• A substantial and specific danger to public health or safety; or,
• A violation of law or regulation related to a Federal contract or grant (including the competition for, or negotiation of, a contract or grant).

Extended Protections

Section 828(a) of the NDAA, Pilot Program for Enhancement of Contractor Employee Whistleblower Protections, provides that, "An employee of a contractor, subcontractor, or grantee may not be discharged, demoted, or otherwise discriminated against as a reprisal for disclosing the aforementioned types of information to:

• "'A Member of Congress, or a representative of a Congressional committee,
• An Inspector General,
• The Government Accountability Office,
• A federal employee responsible for contract or grant oversight or management at the relevant agency,
• An official from the Department of Justice, or other law enforcement agency,
• A court or grand jury, or,
• A management official or other employee of the contractor, subcontractor, grantee, or sub-grantee who has the responsibility to investigate, discover or address misconduct

Action

The pilot program also establishes a new process for review of whistleblower reprisal complaints alleged by employees of contractors, subcontractors, and grantees,  "A person who believes that the person has been subjected to a reprisal prohibited by subsection (a) may submit a complaint to the Inspector General of the executive agency involved."

Procedures for submitting fraud, waste, abuse, and whistleblower complaints are generally accessible on the Office of Inspector General (OIG) website, via phone (800) 409-9926, or Whistleblower Internet sites, such as these:

• Department of Agriculture : http://www.usda.gov/oig/contractorform.htm
• Department of Health and Human Services: https://forms.oig.hhs.gov/hotlineoperations/
• National Institutes of Health: http://oma.od.nih.gov/public/DPI/Pages/default.aspx
• National Science Foundation: http://www.nsf.gov/oig/

Concerns related to alleged fraud, waste, and/or abuse may be reported anonymously to the Wayne State University Office of Internal Audit as follows:

• Online Tips Form - www.internalaudit.wayne.edu
• Hotline - (313) 577-5138

All allegations will be investigated and reported to the appropriate University officials and the sponsor.  Please provide sufficient information to enable a thorough investigation.