Enfield, CT. - June 3, 2009 "“ Specialized Technology Resources Responsible Sourcing (STR-RS) announced today that it has expanded its services to provide accountability assessments for government contractors who must comply with increased government oversight on ethics, labor, and environmental health and safety standards.

With $84 million of stimulus funding directly tied to establishing a better system of accountability and transparency to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse, government contractors can’t afford to make mistakes with their supply chain. The stimulus package brings added responsibilities and increased risks of whistleblower complaints through new protections that affect all companies receiving funds.

Any contractors "“ not just those receiving stimulus funds "“ who receive over $5 million in government funding and perform services for over 120 days must also now comply with significant changes to ethics rules. These changes signify the first government steps to bring supply chain accountability provisions to contractual obligations.

"The combination of new requirements and heightened oversight marks a significant change in the compliance environment for government contractors. Non-compliance can put a company at risk of heavy fines, public listing of violations, suspension, debarment, and negative public exposure," said Greg Gardner, general manager of STR-RS. "STR-RS can help government contractors successfully comply with these new requirements."

STR-RS has over 15 years of experience working with Fortune 500 companies, government contractors, government agencies, lending institutions, and NGOs to help build effective supply chain accountability programs. As a leading global provider of supply chain consulting services, STR-RS conducts over 17,000 independent assessments each year. STR-RS works with government contractors to objectively evaluate their supply chains based on ethics programs, labor standards, and environmental health and safety performance.

STR, which was founded in 1944, is a privately held U.S. owned company that provides testing, audit, certification, and responsible sourcing services to help ensure that clients have the highest level of confidence in the quality, safety, and social standards of their products and systems. Based in Enfield, CT, STR has sophisticated laboratories and offices in over 30 countries across six continents, and the reach to provide audit services in over 140 countries around the world. Visit STR at http://www.strquality.com.

UL

UL

UL is a leading global provider of corporate responsibility auditing and ethical sourcing consulting services, which include monitoring, training, research, and program development. With offices in over 30 countries across five continents, UL Responsible Sourcing has the reach to provide audit services in over 140 countries around the world. UL is part of UL Verification Services, a business unit of UL (Underwriters Laboratories). Additional information about UL may be found at www.strquality.com

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