Government Contracting

A sharp contrast exists between the skills necessary for managing time and materials contracts versus their cost type counterparts. Partner expert Aronson LLC details what exactly a “cost” is and the finesse needed to navigate the requirements and obligations attached to cost type contracts.

Contracts that contain cost accounting standards (CAS) come with their own unique challenges. Sometimes there are exemptions. Sometimes they are modified rather than full coverage. All of it making preparing to meet the requirements that much more tricky. Learn the common concerns, questions and best practices for monitoring CAS applicability and the expectations government businesses will need to address.

President and founder of Adaptic LLC – a small government business providing end-to-end systems engineering and analytic expertise for system enhancement – revisits the evaluation process that took his company from using a network of generic solutions for accounting, payroll and retirement management, to selecting Deltek Costpoint to support the evolution and expansion of his business.

A major deadline for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is approaching and many government contractors are wrestling with more questions than answers about first and second draw loans, applying for forgiveness and all the implications for their business. Deltek partner expert Baker Tilly reviews top questions and important resources to help navigate what’s next.

Look back at some of Deltek’s most reviewed posts of 2020. Everything from reviewing the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) rules of engagement, FAR and CAS basics, the debut of Costpoint 8, and day-to-day pain points pressuring government businesses is covered.

Preparing for a merger or acquisition for a government contractor often begins long before an offer is on the table. It actually starts when solutions and systems are selected to help run a business’ day-to-day operations. Learn how good investments can turn into great rewards for overall company value.

Finance and financial compliance leaders entered 2020 riding a wave of optimism, with healthy revenue growth and profit margins. A foundation that proved vital as the United States began to grappled with COVID-19. Keeping eyes on profitability and cash flow, many leaders made addressing disruptions in financial health their new benchmarks for success. See how they plan to run a tighter ship to navigate through uncertain waters into 2021.

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.

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?