Sure, details in an inspector general’s report painted a pretty sordid story of alleged contract fraud and planned intimidation tactics to ensure FedBid Inc. held on tight to its government dollars. Still, most procurement experts guess that it will generally be business as usual for the Vienna-based company.

What arguably raised the most eyebrows about the Veterans Affairs Department's IG findings, which were first reported by Federal News Radio last week, were details of how FedBid executives allegedly planned to pressure Jan Frye, deputy assistant secretary of the VA’s office of Acquisition and Logistics, after he barred the use of the company’s reverse auction services.

But those details won’t likely be enough to suspend or debar the contractor from federal contracting.

“Tough to make a black and white case here, despite the report,” said Larry Allen, president of Allen Federal Business Partners and former president of another industry group, the Coalition for Government Procurement. “There are other remedies, like canceling contracts, fines. Most IG reports don't lead to suspensions or debarments, but other penalties." Read full article.