Accenture has announced that it has agreed with the U.S. Department of Justice to settle a lawsuit originally filed in 2006 (United States ex rel. Norman Rille and Neal Roberts v. Accenture LLP) for $63.68 million. The lawsuit claimed that, in work for the U.S. federal government, Accenture received payments, resale revenue or other benefits through alliance agreements with technology vendors that were not sufficiently disclosed and that were not allowed on federal contracts.

Accenture and the U.S. Department of Justice have agreed to settle the suit to avoid additional time, inconvenience and expense that would come with protracted litigation.

The agreement is not an admission of liability by Accenture. Accenture continues to vigorously deny that there was any wrongdoing. The U.S. federal government was aware of alliance relationships in the IT industry and how they would benefit customers, vendors and the IT industry. The details of how alliances worked in the IT industry were widely reported in the industry press.