According to our recent report on federal contract compliance by attorneys Andrew Mohr and C. Kelly Kroll, government agencies are growing more aggressive about auditing contracts with suppliers. The government, after all, is the “world’s largest customer,” buying some $350-plus billion in commercial goods and services each year. Many distributors are eager to get a piece of the pie.
 
But the federal government leverages this buying power by including in its contracts numerous laws and regulations that typically won’t be found in traditional commercial contracts. Some rules are intended to protect workers, some aim to promote contracting for small and minority businesses, and still others promote …