Washington, DC, September 15, 2026 (ANI): Accenture Federal Services (AFS), Accenture plc and Accenture LLP have agreed to pay the United States $25 million to resolve allegations that the company violated federal contracting requirements by falsely certifying compliance with anti-discrimination provisions and discriminating against employees and job applicants based on race or sex.
According to a statement issued by the US Department of Justice, the settlement resolves allegations that AFS, a federal contractor, failed to comply with equal employment opportunity requirements between 2017 and the present while certifying to the government that it was meeting those obligations.
Federal contracts generally require contractors to provide equal employment opportunities and certify that employment decisions are made without regard to race or sex.
The US government alleged that AFS nevertheless took race and sex into consideration in hiring and promotion decisions as part of efforts to meet internal, nonpublic workforce demographic goals.
According to the allegations, business unit leaders received monthly reports showing the racial and gender composition of their units. The figures were reportedly highlighted in green, yellow or red depending on whether representation met or exceeded company targets, was within 5 percent of the target, or fell more than 5 percent below it.
The Justice Department alleged that these demographic targets influenced hiring practices, including during a round of entry-level recruitment conducted around the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021.
The government further alleged that race and sex were considered in promotion decisions. During reviews for managing director promotions, candidates who could advance AFS’ demographic goals were allegedly given additional visibility among senior leaders involved in promotion decisions.
AFS also allegedly used color-coded lists and separate promotion pipelines to identify candidates who would further the company’s demographic objectives, according to the DOJ.
The allegations also extend to training, mentoring, leadership development and educational programs. The department said that some opportunities were restricted based on race or sex.
One program cited by the US government was AFS’ Amplify to Elevate, which operated from August 2022 to February 2025.
The DOJ alleged that participation was reserved for employees based on race and that the program was intended to improve participants’ career prospects through mentorship and networking opp
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