On September 14, 2026, the DOJ announced that government tech contractor Accenture Federal Services and related companies had agreed to pay $25 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by falsely certifying compliance with anti-discrimination requirements in its contracts while considering race or sex in certain employment decisions.
The government contended that Accenture falsely certified compliance with Title VII requirements incorporated into its federal contracts and with Federal Acquisition Regulation clause 52.222-26. According to the settlement agreement, the company also allocated costs associated with the challenged practices to federal contracts and sought payment or reimbursement for those costs.
According to the DOJ, internal workforce-composition goals affected hiring and promotion decisions. The government cited monthly demographic summaries for business units, separate consideration and highlighting of promotion candidates who advanced the goals, and certain training or mentoring opportunities whose eligibility was limited by race or sex. The agreement credits Accenture for cooperation under the DOJ’s guidelines for considering disclosure, cooperation, and remediation in FCA matters.
Key Takeaways
Federal contractors should test whether employment policies, program eligibility criteria, and actual decision-making align with equal-opportunity representations in their contracts. Legal, human-resources, and contracting teams should review how workforce metrics are used in hiring, promotion, and development decisions rather than treating certification as a formality.
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