48 CFR §1803.903
Verified against eCFR.gov as of June 20, 2026View official text on eCFR.gov ↗
- (a)Policy. 10 U.S.C. 4701 prohibits contractors or subcontractors from discharging, demoting, or otherwise discriminating against an employee as a reprisal for disclosing, to any of the entities listed at paragraph (b) of this section, information that the employee reasonably believes is evidence of gross mismanagement of a NASA contract, a gross waste of NASA funds, an abuse of authority relating to a NASA contract, a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety, or a violation of law, rule, or regulation related to a NASA contract (including the competition for or negotiation of a contract). Such reprisal is prohibited even if it is undertaken at the request of an executive branch official, unless the request takes the form of a non-discretionary directive and is within the authority of the executive branch official making the request.
- (b)Entities to whom disclosure may be made:
- (1)A Member of Congress or a representative of a committee of Congress.
- (2)The NASA Inspector General or any other Inspector General that has oversight over contracts awarded by or on behalf of NASA.
- (3)The Government Accountability Office.
- (4)A NASA employee responsible for contract oversight or management.
- (5)An authorized official of the Department of Justice or other law enforcement agency.
- (6)A court or grand jury.
- (7)A management official or other employee of the contractor or subcontractor who has the responsibility to investigate, discover, or address misconduct.
- (c)Disclosure clarified. An employee who initiates or provides evidence of contractor or subcontractor misconduct in any judicial or administrative proceeding relating to waste, fraud, or abuse on a NASA contract shall be deemed to have made a disclosure.
- (d)Contracting officer actions. A contracting officer who receives a complaint of reprisal of the type described in paragraph (a) of this section shall forward it to legal counsel and to the NASA Inspector General.