The General Services Administration (GSA) announced that it has identified $1.22 billion in suspected fraud across five COVID-era contracts with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The findings are part of GSA and HHS’s collaboration with the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the government’s broader efforts to identify potential fraud and improper payments across federal contracts.
According to GSA, although the COVID-19 national emergency ended in 2023 and related acquisition flexibilities were subsequently canceled, certain contractors continued to receive funds through contracts established during the pandemic. GSA also reported that its review stopped an additional $41 million in payments associated with the five contracts.
GSA said suspected cases are being referred to law enforcement and that the government will seek to recover taxpayer funds where appropriate. Officials also emphasized that the initiative is focused on suspected wrongdoing rather than contractors that legitimately performed pandemic-related work.
The announcement follows GSA’s finding in August of more than $13 billion in suspected contractor fraud and reflects the agency’s continued focus on identifying potential fraud, improper payments, and other risks across federal procurement.