Whistleblower Retaliation Allegation by Contract Employee

We investigated allegations that a contract employee was reprised against by Department and contract officials after disclosing alleged gross mismanagement and waste of Federal funds related to a construction project – a disclosure protected under the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013.

 

We found that the contract employee did make a whistleblower disclosure. We also found that subsequent to that disclosure, the Department did not extend the contract the employee was working under beyond its expiration date, and that the contractor terminated the contract employee from the company. Department officials claimed there was not enough work left on the contract to warrant an extension and denied that the contract employee’s disclosures were the reason for their decision. The contractor also denied that the contract employee’s disclosures were the reason the employee was released from the company and explained that once the Department contract ended, they had no suitable positions for the contract employee. 

 

This is a summary of a report of investigation that was issued to the Secretary of the Department of the Interior.