Hotline

Introduction:
 
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) maintains a Hotline to facilitate the reporting of allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, or mismanagement in U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) programs or operations. If you wish to report such allegations, you may call, send a letter, or email the OIG Hotline as identified at the right. Allegations may be reported by DOE employees, DOE contractors, or the general public.

Issues that should be reported:

• Contract, Procurement, and Grant Fraud
• Environment, Health, and Safety Violations
• Computer Crimes
• Product Substitution and Suspect/Counterfeit Parts
• Bribery, Kickbacks, and Gratuities
• False Statements and False Claims
• Conflicts of Interest and Ethics Violations
• Travel Fraud
• Theft and/or Abuse of Government Property
• Other Violations of Federal Laws and Regulations

Callers are encouraged to provide relevant and specific details of their complaints, including the identity of the person, company, or organization alleged to have engaged in wrongdoing a description of the alleged impropriety the DOE facility and program affected by the alleged misconduct contract numbers date(s) of alleged wrongdoing how the caller is aware of the alleged impropriety the identity of potential witnesses and the identity and location of supporting documentation.

Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Contractor Business Ethics Compliance Program Disclosure Requirements:

Contractors shall timely disclose, in writing, to the Office of Inspector General, with a copy to the Contracting Officer, whenever the Contractor has credible evidence that a principal, employee, agent, or subcontractor of the Contractor has committed a violation of the civil False Claims Act or of Federal criminal law involving fraud, conflict of interest, bribery, or gratuity violations in connection with the award, performance, or closeout of a contract or any related subcontract. The individual making the disclosure must be an officer or manager empowered to speak for the company. Additional information regarding these reporting requirements can be found in the December 12, 2008, FAR Amendment at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-26953.htm.

Complaint processing:

Upon receipt of a specific allegation of fraud, waste, abuse, or mismanagement, the OIG may take any one of the following actions: open an investigation, audit, or inspection refer the matter to DOE management for appropriate review and action or refer the allegation to another Federal agency. Allegations with limited specificity or merit may be held in abeyance until further, specific details are reported.

Callers may remain anonymous:

Individuals who contact the Hotline, via telephone or letter, are not required to provide their identity to the Hotline operator. However, persons who report allegations are encouraged to identify themselves in the event additional questions arise as the OIG evaluates or pursues their allegations.

Confidentiality:

The Office of Inspector General will protect the identity of complainants to the maximum extent possible by law. Confidentiality is established by Section 7(b) of the Inspector General (IG) Act of 1978, which precludes the IG from disclosing the identity of a DOE employee who reports an allegation or provides information, without the employee&squots consent, unless the IG determines that disclosure is unavoidable during the course of the investigation. Non-Department of Energy employees who report allegations may specifically request confidentiality

http://www.ig.energy.gov/hotline.htm