The San Antonio office of Booz Allen Hamilton, a technology and consulting services provider, has been barred from doing business with the federal government.  The company is accused of receiving a competitor’s confidential pricing information from an employee who previously served as an officer in the Air Force.  The employee, former Lt. Col. Joselito Meneses, allegedly presented Booz Allen with a hard drive that contained the confidential pricing information of a competitor shortly before the competitor’s contract was to expire and be rebid.  According to the debarment letter, the employees who were shown the information failed to tell Meneses that his disclosure was improper and failed to take any corrective action.  Eventually, another Booz Allen employee discovered the alleged problematic behavior and reported the violation to the company’s legal department.  Meneses was terminated shortly thereafter.  Although the company declined to bid on the contract, the San Antonio Booz Allen office and five current or former employees, including Meneses, were debarred.  Two of the employees involved remain at the company.

Booz Allen derives a substantial amount of its income from federal contracts.  In the last fiscal year, Booz Allen received over 3,600 government contracts and task orders.  Although the company can appeal, the company may not do business with the federal government in the interim.  If the company does not prevail, a debarment typically lasts up to three years.

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