1st Edition
Contract and Procurement Fraud Investigation Guidebook
Contract and procurement fraud, collusion, and corruption are worldwide problems. Such wrongdoing causes federal, state, and local governments, as well as private-sector corporations and businesses, to lose funds and profits, while the wrongdoers unjustly benefit. Bid riggers conspire to eliminate fair and open competition and unjustly increase prices, allowing some to monopolize industries. Too often, contracting officials and others responsible for placing orders or awarding contracts compromise their integrity and eliminate fair and open competition to favor vendors offering bribes or gifts. This results in unfair playing fields for vendors and causes financial losses for businesses, government agencies, and taxpayers.
Charles Piper’s Contract and Procurement Fraud and Corruption Investigation Guidebook educates readers on fraud and corruption schemes that occur before, during, and after contracts are awarded. This book teaches not only how to identify such wrongdoing, but also how to investigate it and prevent reoccurrence. Piper shares the Piper Method of Conducting Thorough and Complete Investigations, his innovative and proven method of investigating contract and procurement fraud, and demonstrates its principles with personal, on-the-job examples (which he calls "War Stories") woven throughout the text. Intended for criminal justice students, as well as investigators, auditors, examiners, business owners, policy-makers, and other professionals potentially affected by fraud, this book is a must-read guide to effective procurement and contract fraud investigations from inception to testimony.
CONTRACT & PROCUREMENT FRAUD
INVESTIGATION GUIDEBOOK
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Author
Chapter 1 Introduction to contracts, procurements and related fraud
Chapter 2 Corruption in contracting
Chapter 3 Source selection and competition schemes
Chapter 4 Contractor and vendor performance schemes
Chapter 5 Contractor and vendor payment schemes
Chapter 6 Investigators, enforcers and statutes
Chapter 7 Investigative sources and resources
Chapter 8 Investigative tools and techniques
Chapter 9 Interviews and interrogations
Chapter 10 Investigative reports and evidence
Chapter 11 Investigative case planning, goals, and strategies
(The Piper Method of Conducting Thorough and Complete Investigations*)
Chapter 12 Case presentations and testifying
Chapter 13 Post adjudicative action
Chapter 14 Sample case study-story # 1
Chapter 15 Sample case study-story # 2
Chapter 16 Sample case study-story # 3
Conclusion
Appendix: Samples of visual aids for presentations on contract and procurement
fraud, collusion and corruption investigations
Index
* - Investigator and Fraud Fighter Guidebook: Operation War Stories; Charles E. Piper: Copyright © 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
Biography
Charles E. Piper, CFE, CRT, is an award-winning investigator and author. He served for over 30 years in law enforcement including 20 years as a special agent-criminal investigator with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). He has successfully conducted numerous internal and external contract & procurement fraud investigations as well investigations involving collusion as public corruption (bribes and kickbacks). As a federal agent, he led interagency investigations and worked jointly with some of the most experienced and well trained fraud fighters in the world. His investigations have resulted in millions of dollars in recoveries, as well as criminal convictions and civil judgments against fraudsters. Piper also served seven years in the U.S. Army in the Military Police Corps and additional years as a city police officer and supervisory detective.
He is currently the owner of Charles Piper’s Professional Services in West Tennessee which provides investigative, consulting and training services, Piper is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Certified in the Reid Technique of Interview and Interrogation (CRT) and a graduate of three law enforcement-investigative academies (federal, state and military). He is the author of multiple books, including Investigator and Fraud Fighter Guidebook: Operation War Stories, and Healthcare Fraud Investigation Guidebook, and has received numerous awards, including Special Agent of the Year for his service in law enforcement, and the 2014 Associate of Certified Fraud Examiners’ (ACFE) Hubbard Award.
Charles Piper is a seasoned fraud examiner. In this book, he breaks down the common schemes, how to spot them, and how to conduct effective investigations. Piper’s Contract and Procurement Fraud Investigation Guidebook is a vital resource for fraud investigators as well as businesses and government organizations that want to ensure the integrity of their acquisition systems. —James D. Ratley, CFE, CEO & President, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
In today’s world of billion-dollar international government and private-sector procurements, there is a dire need for Charles Piper’s Contract and Procurement Fraud Investigation Guidebook. The author exposes the many different types of fraud schemes and wrongful actors that can beset contracting and procurements. He also provides a step-by-step list of protocols to be followed while investigating, which provides readers with a distinct advantage…It should be used for core courses and be required reading for every fraud investigator. —Gilbert R. Jimenez, JD, CIG, LPD, Former Deputy Inspector General, IL
Investigators should put Charles Piper's Contract and Procurement Fraud Investigation Guidebook front-and-center on their resource shelf. Piper’s described investigative techniques and personal "War Stories" make this book an enjoyable and informative read. —Andy Wise, Chief Consumer Investigator, WMC Action News 5
