Billions of dollars in fast-track federal construction stimulus spending is expected to boost cases of fraud and ratchet up government scrutiny, say industry executives. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s $787-billion spending total will likely lure many out-of-work firms into the federal contracting arena, boosting competition and fraud potential.
“There is a lot of public pressure to step up enforcement of taxpayer money,” said Mark A. Aiello, a partner with Foley Lardner LLP, Detroit, at the Construction Financial Management Association’s annual conference, held last month in Las Vegas.