Existing and new rules aimed at increasing the transparency and public scrutiny of payments to beneficiaries of federal programs, contractors, grant recipients and other entities, explicitly require agencies to cut down on misappropriation and funding errors. The performance of a Contracting Officer, Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COR/COTR),Grant Official, Certifying Official, Task Administrator, Cognizant Technical Officer (CTO), Quality Assurance Evaluator (QAE), or any other contractor oversight or federal fund appropriation position will be evaluated and scrutinized by the public, IG, GAO, Congress and agency officials.

If it is perceived that you or your agency has erroneously or improperly entered into, administered and/or terminated a contract, grant or other federal fund appropriation, you can be certain that there will be a demand of accountability.

This takes the form of OIG, GAO, OSC, EEO or Congressional investigations - or any management directed investigation and/or proposed disciplinary action(s), as well as possible civil suits and/or criminal investigations. Assuming these matters will be automatically dismissed or defended against by your agency would be a mistake. Common allegations of wrongdoing resulting in these investigations against employees and managers obligating and administering federal funds and contracts include - but are not limited to:

• a deficiency act violation;
• a fraud, waste or abuse complaint/allegation;
• a whistleblower or ethics complaint;
• a complaint or allegation of wrongdoing made by the public;
• a No Fear Act investigation;
• a management, OIG or OSC investigation/complaint;
• an EEO complaint; or
• any other allegation of wrongdoing involving the performance of your official duties.

Defending against allegations of misconduct or other wrongdoing is difficult and in many cases requires federal employees to hire and pay for outside legal counsel - even if the allegation is ultimately disproved. Please read Administrative Exposures for additional information. FEDS professional liability insurance specifically protects federal employees and allows for affordable legal representation and indemnity protection for those circumstances in which federal employees may be held personally liable and have to provide their own defense - even though they were within their scope of employment or rendering a professional federal service. For coverage effective today, purchase PLI now.

Having an attorney experienced in federal matters to advise you of your legal rights and obligations and also the parameters of the law under which you've been accused is imperative in the initial investigative stages. Access to an attorney would also:

• defend against allegations;
• prepare you for the agency administration or investigation process;
• attend the investigative interview with you; and
• defend you in any resulting disciplinary action (both at the agency level and at the MSPB).

Employees and managers can also be exposed to civil suits and criminal investigations, albeit at a much lesser degree than the administrative exposures. These civil suits are typically called Bivens actions and the DOJ has the discretion as to whether or not it will defend you in a personal capacity lawsuit arising out of your scope of employment. Employees obligating and administering federal funds and contracts can also be investigated criminally for even the most trivial matters and false allegations. See Civil Exposures and Criminal Exposures for additional information about civil and criminal exposures.

FEDS panel of attorneys has successfully defended federal employees in a variety of investigations and disciplinary cases including OIG, GAO, OSC, EEO, and Congressional investigations; and other federal and private-sector employment disputes. Some have had professional liability insurance in place and some haven't. If it happens to you, having liability insurance will ensure that a complete legal defense is not cost prohibitive.

The FEDS PLI policy also offers all federal employees up to two free ½ hour legal consultations with an attorney experienced in the areas of federal personnel and employment law for matters not covered by the liability insurance. At $270 per year (or $22.60 on our monthly deduction plan) for our minimum coverage limit, there is no reason not to have career and financial security protections in place.

Federal managers are eligible for agency reimbursement up to 1/2 the cost of the professional liability insurance for a net cost of only $135 a year after reimbursement for our minimum coverage limit. You may also want to view the Executives and Managers Info Page for additional PLI exposures and benefits information. FEDS is exclusively endorsed by the Senior Executives Association (SEA), the Professional Managers Association (PMA), and the Federal Managers Association (FMA). If you are a member of one of these associations, you may want to contact them for your FEDS discount code.

FEDS continually works with the federal employee communities and associations - to ensure that we provide the protection Feds need to do their jobs. Maneuvering the investigative process without legal counsel is not recommended by the leading federal employee and management associations, and law firms representing federal employees. Please read what these associations and other industry leaders have to say about professional protection in endorsements and testimonials and why they endorse FEDS over all other professional liability carriers.

FEDS founder is a former federal employee who has defended federal employees in private practice. He encourages all federal employees to be as informed as possible about the benefits of having PLI protection in place. Read more about how and why FEDS got started here. And if you can't find answers to your questions in Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's), please call us at 301-229-2481.