Sandia Corp. will pay $4,790,042 to settle claims that it used federal funding to lobby federal agencies and Congress to secure a noncompetitive extension of its management and operation contract for the Sandia National Laboratories, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Friday. The alleged lobbying, which would violate the Byrd Amendment and the False Claims Act, was discovered last November by the Department of Energy (DOE) Inspector General’s Office (IG). The IG identified a campaign, from 2008 to 2012, that involved a team of consultants established to provide guidance on lobbying federal officials and lawmakers. Although the initiative ultimately sought to avoid an open contract competition, the DOE in May posted a "full and open competition" notice for management of the lab.
Sandia Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed, admitted no wrongdoing in accepting the settlement.
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