Early in May, Affiliated Monitors Inc. conducted a webinar, “Crisis & Compliance in the Federal Marketplace,” that addressed the need to maintain and enhance compliance programs in the face of the global pandemic.^[1] Participants included a government contracts attorney and representatives from various industries involved with government procurement.

Some of the risks the webinar identified include:

• Risk of remote operations (cybersecurity risks as well as risk of fraud)

• New markets and products (unique requirements of the government marketplace)

• Shifting operations and locations (opening and closing facilities/working remotely)

• Changing suppliers and supply chains (general disruption)

• Cybervulnerabilities and data protection challenges

• Delay and disruption in performance

• Oversight and controls that are no longer effective

Panelists also discussed the need for companies to be more vigilant than ever, given a marked increase in fraudulent activities during the pandemic. Indeed, a new survey conducted by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners^[2] found that more than 90% of antifraud professionals have seen an increase in fraud during the pandemic and predict even more fraudulent activity as the secondary effects of the pandemic begin to take hold.