The Department of Defense (DoD) recently adopted a final rule amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS). The rule implements increased whistleblower protections for contractor and subcontractor employees from Section 827 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013.
The rule broadens and clarifies whistleblower protections for federal contractor and subcontractor employees. Significantly, the protections now extend to an employee of a "contractor, subcontractor, or grantee" who makes a claim of gross mismanagement, gross waste, abuse of authority, a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety, or a violation of a law, rule, or regulation related to a federal contract. For more information, please review the DoD's Final Rule Announcement and Proskauer's coverage of the rule's development on July 2, 2013 and October 4, 2013.
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