Overview
The Defense Procurement Fraud Debarment (DPFD) Clearinghouse, was established in 1993 and has been assigned to the Bureau of of Justice. The provision required the U.S. Attorney General to establish a single point of contact for contractors or subcontractors of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to promptly confirm whether potential employees have been convicted of fraud or any other felony arising out of a contract with the Department of Defense. The clearinghouse serves as this point of contact and is the repository for all DPFD-related records.

Legislation
The Defense Procurement Fraud Debarment (DPFD) Clearinghouse was established by Section 815, Subsection 10, of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year (FY) 1993 [Public Law 102-484, United States Code, Section 2408 (c)].

Clearinghouse Data Submissions
Defense-related fraud and felony cases are tried in federal court and prosecuted by a U.S. Attorney. U.S. Attorneys' Offices submit copies of sentencing orders for all individuals convicted of defense-related fraud or felony cases, in their districts, to the Defense Procurement Fraud Debarment Clearinghouse on a quarterly basis. BJA maintains a list of people who have been disqualified from contracting with DoD based on these sentencing orders.

Clearinghouse Services
The clearinghouse responds to inquiries from federal agencies, DoD contractors, and first-tier subcontractors as required to determine employment or contract eligibility. The clearinghouse also forwards pertinent information to the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), where the information is coded to identify the specific category of federal exclusion which is included in the GSA publication Lists of Parties Excluded From Federal Procurement or Non-procurement Programs, more commonly known as the Debarment List or EPLS. The exclusion is categorized according to the specific cause (i.e., the statute violated and the treatment or exclusion).

Defense Procurement Fraud Debarment Clearinghouse staff are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. e.t. at (301) 937-1542.

Information for DoD Contractors
DoD contractors and subcontractors should verify that potential employees have not been debarred and are not on the current List of Parties Excluded from Federal Procurement or Non-procurement Programs (EPLS). Individuals who have been convicted of fraud or any other felony arising out of a contract with DoD are prohibited from contracting with or being employed by any DoD contractor, as stipulated under the National Defense Authorization Act of 1989 (Public Law 100-456).

Access to the Debarment/EPLS List:
Electronic access to the Debarment List is available at http://www.epls.gov/ .

Funding
This program does not offer any funding.

About BJA
The Bureau of Justice Assistance was established in 1984 as a component of the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. BJA provides leadership and resources to state, local, and tribal governments and communities to reduce crime, violence, and drug abuse and to strengthen the nation's criminal justice system. BJA provides this assistance through formula and discretionary grants, training and technical assistance, publications, and the BJA web site.