Client Issue:
CRA eDiscovery expert, David Shin was hired by a company that faced a regulatory investigation by the General Services Administration (GSA) concerning improper contract pricing. This case presented significant challenges due to the high volume of unstructured and semi-structured data spread across over 500 custodians in multiple office locations across both the US and Canada. The company also lacked internal eDiscovery knowledge or capabilities. David was engaged to help identify relevant data across various systems, facilitate strict adherence to federal data handling and production rules, and respond to the GSA’s requests within extremely tight, non-negotiable deadlines to avoid suspension or debarment from future federal contracts.
CRA Approach:
David led a comprehensive data inventory and mapping of all systems and repositories potentially holding GSA-related electronically stored information (ESI), including enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, email archives, and project management platforms. He also led the implementation of a forensically sound targeted network data collection methodology (vs full forensic collections) for a majority of the 500 custodian computers (minus remote workers with limited network bandwidth), facilitating data integrity and chain of custody; leveraging advanced analytics, including concept searching and structured data analysis, to identify key contract clauses, financial transactions, and communications relevant to the GSA’s inquiry.
Client Impact:
Through David and his team’s strategic guidance, the company achieved full compliance with all GSA subpoena demands, delivering timely and defensible productions that safeguarded its federal contracting status.
