We investigated an anonymous allegation that a senior U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) manager conspired to give proprietary information and a competitive advantage to an existing USGS contractor in violation of the Procurement Integrity Act. We also investigated concerns that the senior USGS manager disclosed confidential or proprietary information in a presentation and while touring the contractor’s offices that could have given the contractor a competitive advantage.
The evidence did not support a finding that the senior USGS manager violated the Procurement Integrity Act. At the time of the presentation and tour, the project under consideration was in the study phase of development, and the Government had not developed a request for proposal for the project. The evidence also did not support a finding that the senior USGS manager’s presentation disclosed confidential or proprietary information that could have given the contractor a competitive advantage. The presentation did not have protective markings, most of the information in the presentation was publicly available, and the information that was not publicly available appeared too general to give a potential future offeror a competitive advantage.