A bill to set up a public database on federal contractor performance and misconduct won approval last week from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee despite Republican concerns the measure could allow unfair attacks on contractors as well as end up barring large companies from receiving government contracts.

The bill would require creation of a publicly accessible list of any completed criminal, civil and administrative proceedings against federal contractors in the last five years. The database would be maintained by the General Services Administration, though other federal agencies could input data.

"This is a common-sense measure that would allow the federal government to track fraudulent contractors," Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said. Democrats said the bill would give federal acquisition officers a standard source of information on contractor performance.

Representative Tom Davis (R-VA) said the bill could lead to a "blacklist" used to intimidate contractors. "While the information would have a fair purpose for acquisition officers, I fail to see the value of placing it on a public Web site," Davis said.    Read more