Each year, the U.S. federal government obligates over $750 billion through contracts, making procurement one of the largest and most scrutinized categories of federal spending. With such scale comes risk. Fraud, waste, and abuse continue to weaken taxpayer trust and strain agency resources, often going undetected until after the damage is done. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimates that fraud-related losses across federal programs exceed $200 billion each year—many of which could have been prevented.
Traditional oversight relies on audits, compliance reviews, and whistleblower reports. But these methods often catch problems too late. Recovering lost funds, addressing legal issues, and repairing an agency’s reputation can be costly. This challenge has led to a government-wide shift toward early detection and proactive risk mitigation.
Executive Order 14240, issued in March 2025, underscores this urgency. It calls for consolidating procurement of common goods and services under the General Services Administration (GSA) to eliminate duplicative contracts, reduce inefficiencies, and curb waste. But consolidation alone isn’t enough. To make procurement more efficient and accountable, agencies must build fraud prevention into every step—from acquisition planning through post-award monitoring.
Our Perspective
Fraud can happen at any stage of the procurement process. In the early phases, risks include bid collusion, false representations, and conflicts of interest. Post-award, issues such as overbilling, non-performance, product substitution, and duplicate payments can arise. The complexity and speed of modern contracting, especially under urgent or emergency conditions, further increase the likelihood of oversight gaps.
The key to mitigating these risks is shifting from retrospective controls to integrated, real-time prevention. Federal watchdogs, including inspectors general and the GAO, have emphasized the need to modernize oversight methods. A 2023 GAO report found that agencies using data analytics and automation were better at spotting unusual procurement activity early, which led to quicker action and fewer losses.
Technology now enables this transformation. Predictive analytics can assess risk levels across vendors and contract actions based on historical behavior. Intelligent workflows can embed fraud risk checkpoints—such as automated vendor vetting, invoice validation, and price benchmarking—directly into procurement systems. Data integration across contract writing systems, financial platforms, and oversight offices ensures that red flags are identified early, rather than after payment or project failure.
Importantly, fraud prevention should not be viewed as an additional layer of bureaucracy but as a strategic capability that enhances efficiency. By catching problems early, agencies can avoid costly rework, investigations, and public scrutiny. A prevention-first mindset fosters better vendor relationships, stronger contract performance, and more confident leadership decision-making.
How TechSur Can Support
TechSur Solutions assists federal agencies in building proactive, AI-enabled fraud detection into the core of their procurement operations. By integrating procurement, financial, and vendor data into unified dashboards, TechSur facilitates early risk visibility and anomaly detection throughout the lifecycle.
Our intelligent automation tools incorporate real-time fraud checkpoints into workflows—flagging suspicious patterns in solicitations, pricing, invoicing, and performance.
With experience modernizing acquisition systems at GSA and DHS, TechSur provides scalable, secure solutions that alleviate manual oversight burdens and identify problems before they escalate into losses.
TechSur empowers agencies to safeguard taxpayer dollars through smarter, earlier, and data-driven procurement oversight.
Conclusion
Fraud prevention is no longer the exclusive domain of audits and investigations; it is now a core mission objective for acquisition teams. As the federal government consolidates procurement to drive efficiency under Executive Order 14240, it must also ensure those processes are designed with integrity. This means embedding early-warning systems, enabling intelligent oversight, and using data to inform decisions at every stage.
The opportunity is clear: by catching fraud early, agencies can prevent financial loss, improve public trust, and deliver on their missions with greater speed and confidence. The tools exist. The mandate is in place. Now is the time to act—and to lead.