Executive Order 12549—Debarment and Suspension of Participants in Federal Programs

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, and in order to curb fraud, waste, and abuse in Federal programs, increase agency accountability, and ensure consistency among agency regulations concerning debarment and suspension of participants in Federal programs, it is hereby ordered that: Section 1. (a) To the extent permitted by law and subject to the limitations in Section 1(c), Executive departments and agencies shall participate in a system for debarment and suspension from programs and activities involving Federal financial and nonfinancial assistance and benefits. Debarment or suspension of a participant in a program by one agency shall have government-wide effect. (b) Activities covered by this Order include but are not limited to' grants, cooperative agreements, contracts of assistance, loans, and loan guarantees. (c) This Order does not cover procurement programs and activities, direct Federal statutory entitlements or mandatory awards, direct awards to foreign governments or public international organizations, benefits to an individual as a personal entitlement, or Federal employment. Sec. 2. To the extent permitted by law, Executive departments and agencies shall: (a) Follow government-wide criteria and government-wide minimum due process procedures when they act to debar or suspend participants in affected programs. (b) Send to the agency designated pursuant to Section 5 identifying information concerning debarred and suspended participants in affected programs, participants who have agreed to exclusion from participation, and participants declared ineligible under applicable law, including Executive Orders. This information shall be included in the list to be maintained pursuant to Section 5. (c) Not allow a party to participate in any affected program if any Executive department or agency has debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded (to the extent specified in the exclusion agreement) that party from participation in an affected program. An agency may grant an exception permitting a debarred, suspended, or excluded party to participate in a particular transaction upon a written determination by the agency head or authorized designee stating the reason(s) for deviating from this Presidential policy. However, I intend that exceptions to this policy should be granted only infrequently. Sec. 3. Executive departments and agencies shall issue regulations governing their implementation of this Order that shall be consistent with the guidelines issued under Section 6. Proposed regulations shall be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget for review within four months of the date of the guidelines issued under Section 6. The Director of the Office of Management and Budget may return for reconsideration proposed regulations that the Director believes are inconsistent with the guidelines. Final regulations shall be published within twelve months of the date of the guidelines. Sec. 4. There is hereby constituted the Interagency Committee on Debarment and Suspension, which shall monitor implementation of this Order. The Committee shall consist of representatives of agencies designated by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Sec. 5. The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall designate a Federal agency to perform the following functions: maintain a current list of all individuals and organizations excluded from program participation under this Order, periodically distribute the list to Federal agencies, and study the feasibility of automating the list; coordinate with the lead agency responsible for government-wide debarment and suspension of contractors; chair the Interagency Committee established by Section 4; and report periodically to the Director on implementation of this Order, with the first report due within two years of the date of the Order. Sec. 6. The Director of the Office of Management and Budget is authorized to issue guidelines to Executive departments and agencies that govern which programs and activities are covered by this Order, prescribe government-wide criteria and government-wide minimum due process procedures, and set forth other related details for the effective administration of the guidelines. Sec. 7. The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall report to the President within three years of the date of this Order on Federal agency compliance with the Order, including the number of exceptions made under Section 2(c), and shall make such recommendations as are appropriate further to curb fraud, waste, and abuse. RONALD REAGAN The White House, February 18, 1986. [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 10:56 a.m., February 19, 1986]