Law360, New York ( October 9, 2012, 1:40 PM EDT) -- In late August 2012, defense contractor Science Applications International Corp. ("SAIC") negotiated with the U.S. Army a five-year agreement to avoid suspension or debarment from federal contracts[1]. The authority to enter into such a governmentwide arrangement — a contractor responsibility program — stems in part from the requirements in the 2012 Consolidated Appropriations Act rather than the usual Federal Acquisition Regulation and Code of Federal Regulations provisions specifying a suspension and debarment process[2]. This legislative act[3] in its various divisions requires agencies, before funding a contract, to weigh suspension or debarment of any convicted contractor or one with an executive convicted of a crime....