Contractors need to be aware that the federal inspector general community has a very different outlook on government business than they – or even their customers – do.  Most problems, according to representatives of the VA and DOD Offices of the Inspector General who spoke recently at the Coalition for Government Procurement Fall Conference, stem solely from a contractor’s inability or unwillingness to submit all of the data an IG requests during an audit.  The comments were made in a matter-of-fact manner, without any apparent malice or irony.  The IG officials also do believe that they are independent, though anyone who has actually been through an audit knows that the government receives most benefits of the doubt, absent any clear evidence to the contrary.  Contractors must approach all IG contacts with care.  They are very, very different from interactions with agency customers.  Assume that an IG official will always look at a situation in a way that is the most disadvantageous to your company.  Even seemingly casual remarks can be viewed in an entirely different context.  It is an established best practice to handle all IG communications via qualified counsel.  Your federal customer may be your partner, but their IG is a different story.