What do Sword Parts LLC, Defense Solutions, and Digital Depot have in common?  All were once federal contractors with small, but decent, federal contracts.  Each, though, is now on the Excluded Parties List because they failed to comply with some aspect of those government contracts.  Contract compliance is not just a matter for large companies to worry about.  Misrepresent your size status, overbill a government customer, or ship a product you should not have and you, too, could join these, and 108 other companies, that were added to the suspended or debarred list in just the past 6 months.  Too often, small or medium-sized businesses think “It can’t happen to me”.  In this era of hyper information sharing and elevated whistleblower complaints, it can.  If your company does most or all of its business in the public sector (including state or local governments) and ends up on the excluded list, you likely will no longer have a company and your employees won’t have a livelihood.  Investing in good contract compliance programs is like getting a flu shot.  It costs little in comparison to the illness itself and, even if you do get ill, you will live to work – and sell- again.