Government Contracting

With nearly $3 trillion in U.S. military assets audited in 2018 and 2019, the Department of Defense (DoD) has made it clear that defense audits should be classified as an annual exercise rather than an occasional review. Prepare with some basics of DCAA and DCMA audit readiness and valuable tips on compliant asset management.

Manufacturing does not have to be the primary source of profit for government contractors, but if it’s not managed with the three pillars of success in mind, it could invite increased scrutiny from contracting agencies. Learn what it means to “get it right” in the areas of engineering services or discrete manufacturing through the tenets of quality, traceability and efficiency.

Navigating the discovery process for a new-to-you enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution can feel daunting. How do you know what you need? Which solution is the best fit? Start with four key considerations to help narrow the field and keep your government contracting firm in the driver’s seat.

One thing that is certain in these uncertain times is that the Department of Defense (DoD) is moving forward with its plans for Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). Though the onset of COVID-19 has somewhat slowed assessment program efforts, the goal to protect Federal Contract Information (FCI) and Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) remains intact. Explore how cloud service providers can be an important step with helping fulfill CMMC requirements.

Evaluating the capacity of internal systems generally isn’t the number one to-do item for government contractors while managing a period of dynamic growth. Often times it’s not number two or even number 10. However, if a firm is relying on generic, mass-market solutions, such as QuickBooks®, for accounting and overall business management, as workloads increase, likely so do the problems. The time to pop the hood and review how a solution is truly performing is now before the first “check engine” light comes on.

Generic, out-of-the-box solutions, like QuickBooks^®, are a common place to start for many small businesses managing government contracts. Though these solutions can hold small government contracting firms together initially, in the long run, vulnerabilities inevitably emerge that can put government contractors at significant risk. Specifically, what are the top accounting challenges that can impact a small firm’s day-to-day, and what are the answers they need to help keep the government as their client?

Government contractors are starting to see audit notifications from the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) as they enforce new accounting system compliance requirements. What can firms expect from these audits, when will they be informed and how can they best prepare? Partner expert Baker Tilly helps fill in a few blanks on the new rules of the road.

For government contractors that have a pending contract award, or are considering bidding on a contract with the Department of Defense (DoD), the department’s new Integrated Program Management Reporting (IPMR) requirement is a significant change in earned value management (EVM) reporting. Deltek expert partner BDO provides some answers to topline questions about Integrated Program Management Data Analysis Report (IPMDAR) and keeping compliant.

The stakes are higher than ever before in today’s procurement environment and bid protests have become a valuable tool for government contractors seeking additional contract award opportunities. Understanding what to do when filing a protest is important, but so is understanding what not to do. Get perspective from an experienced government contracting attorney on the most common mistakes, misconceptions and myths regarding bid protests.

Whether you are taking your first steps as a government contractor or have a Ph.D. in RFPs (request for proposals), chances are some of the first agency acronyms you filed away for future work are FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulation) and CAS (Cost Accounting Standards). Peek behind the curtain for each to gain some important compliance readiness tips and resources.