On September 8, 2009, the U.S. Department of Justice executed a $1.2 million settlement agreement with GSA contractor, OCE North America (OCE), for alleged false claims violations. OCE denied the contentions of the United States but compromised to avoid continued litigation and its associated risks. The GSA OIG investigation was initiated after a qui tam was filed. The complaint alleged that OCE made false claims and used the GSA Advantage program to sell products in violation of the Trade Agreements Act and the pricing requirements of the GSA contract. It was further alleged that OCE did not offer the government the best price and that it was common practice to offer lower prices to nongovernmental customers without offering the price to the government and/or reporting it to the contracting officer.
