David (Dave) Fix is a Director with Redstone Government Consulting, Inc. He provides Government Contract Consulting services to our Government contractors primarily related to compliance with Federal Acquisition Regulations and Cost Accounting Standards, equitable adjustment claims, and business systems. Prior to joining Redstone Government Consulting, Dave served in a number of capacities with DCAA for over 35 years. Upon his retirement, Dave was a Regional Audit Manager with DCAA. Dave began his DCAA career in 1986 as an auditor-trainee with the General Electric Suboffice in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He progressed from auditor to DCAA management ranks serving in DCAA offices in Upstate New York, Columbus, Ohio and Greensboro, North Carolina in audits of major and non-major contractors. Dave served DCAA in three overseas tours, all as Branch Manager, in Kuwait/Iraq (2007), Afghanistan (2010-2012) and Kuwait (2014). Dave was promoted to Regional Special Programs Manager (RSPM) in 2015 before ultimately becoming a Regional Audit Manager (RAM) in October 2019. While a RSPM, Dave worked with DCAA’s other three RSPMs with updating the Agency-wide audit planning process including assigning priorities and determining funded/unfunded audits that is currently being used by DCAA. While a RAM, Dave had overall management responsibility for audits performed by approximately 140 employees including one of DCAA’s largest shipyards. During his career, he served as guest instructor at DCAA’s Defense Contract Audit Institute (DCAI) bringing field perspective to “Advance Auditing Issues” and “Supervisors’ Course” as well as served as a DCAI adjunct instructor over DCAA auditors’ initial two-week training course prior to his retirement. Dave served 36 years in the Air Force Reserve/Air National Guard in both enlisted and officer positions retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. His last duty station was Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) Headquarters, Robins Air Force Base, Inspector General Office serving as the Chief, Contracting Inspections leading inspections of AFRC’s 10 contracting offices as well as assisting in inspections of AFRC finance offices. Dave currently specializes in preparing clients for more complex DCAA audits, providing advice on FAR cost principles and contracts regulatory provisions and in assisting clients in anticipating and addressing audit.
On October 21, 2025, the Small Business Administration (SBA) released a state-level analysis or estimate of the impact of a government shutdown on small business lending. The shutdown has frozen the SBA’s core 7(a) and 504 small-business lending programs. These lending programs are designed to support small businesses’ access to funds to acquire or improve long-term fixed assets such as real estate, machinery, and equipment.
Topics: Compliant Accounting Infrastructure, Small Business Compliance, Government Regulations
The federal government has shut down again. It happens. With fiscal year 2025 funding lapsed and in our rearview mirror, how can government contractors mitigate the risk of potential stop-work orders and financial hardship? In this article, we discuss areas to consider not only to mitigate your risk but also to avoid significant financial hardship.
Topics: Contracts & Subcontracts Administration, Government Regulations, REAs, Claims & Terminations
Six months after the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) made its major reorganization, it made another one: the elimination of its Field Detachment (FD) as a separate entity within DCAA. The Field Detachment was a separate entity within DCAA that handled DCAA’s classified audit work. It was a separate and distinct DCAA entity from the current Land, Air, and Sea Directorates of DCAA.
Topics: Contracts & Subcontracts Administration, DCAA Audit Support, Government Regulations
On April 7, 2025, Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) Director Ms. Jennifer Desautel announced a major DCAA reorganization to her staff that is perhaps DCAA’s largest since its 1965 inception. With the current federal government’s stress on efficiency and cost reduction, DCAA faced increased pressure to contain its costs and become more efficient. As a result, Ms. Desautel immediately began reorganizing the field and headquarters offices. DCAA will now have three Directorates (shown below): Land, Sea, and Air.
Topics: Compliant Accounting Infrastructure, Small Business Compliance, Contracts & Subcontracts Administration, DCAA Audit Support, Government Regulations
It may be an understatement to say defense contractors are currently living in changing times. Change has happened in our government administration resulting in some changes in priorities in federal government programs. This can translate into federal government contracts being changed, suspended, stopped, or even terminated. Although contract terminations seem complex, you can navigate through the complexities by reading and understanding your contract clauses, the acquisition rules, working with your contracting officer, and knowing your cost reporting system and how it can comply with contracting regulations.
Topics: Contracts & Subcontracts Administration, Government Regulations, Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), REAs, Claims & Terminations
How much do you know about DCAA and its oversight of your incurred cost proposals (ICP) and indirect cost rates? Would it help to understand what is done and why? Knowing what initiates a DCAA audit of an incurred cost proposal and maintaining a good system of internal controls can potentially keep you from audit.
Topics: Incurred Cost Proposal Submission (ICP/ICE), DCAA Audit Support, Government Regulations, Cost Accounting Standards (CAS), Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)
The Department of Defense (DoD) Comptroller announced the new Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) Director on October 21, 2024, as Ms. Jennifer Desautel. Ms. Desautel was previously the Assistant Director, Policy and Quality was responsible for the formation, development and issuance of contract audit policy and quality assurance within DCAA and its over 4,000 employees in nearly 300 locations. The DoD Comptroller in his announcement sited her extensive experience with DCAA operations and mission as well as her strong alliances across DoD and industry made her ideally suited to lead DCAA.
Topics: Contracts & Subcontracts Administration, Government Compliance Training, DCAA Audit Support, Government Regulations
The Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) wants to re-connect with you. About four years ago, DCAA was looking around and evaluating its workload and saw a problem: it was going away. With a previously perennial favorite of the incurred cost backlog finally going away and few incurred cost audits due to sampling, DCAA had to look for how it can still be important to the acquisition community.
Topics: Compliant Accounting Infrastructure, Contracts & Subcontracts Administration, DCAA Audit Support
So, you have been notified by the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) that they plan on performing an incurred cost audit. What comes next? How is this audit being performed? You are probably not going to get this background from your DCAA auditor. This article will go over the process that will be applied to take a little of the “mystery” away.
Topics: Compliant Accounting Infrastructure, Incurred Cost Proposal Submission (ICP/ICE), Government Regulations
Have you ever thought about the different government contract types and how it impacts your company’s bottom line: profit? Does it really matter what type of government contract that you have? Do you know what oversight there may be required of a particular contract type? Knowing and preparing for each type of contract, prior to accepting any government contract, will directly impact your administrative cost and profitability as well as the amount of government oversight. In this article, I will discuss the contract types and how significantly different they are, and your risk associated with these contract types.
Topics: Small Business Compliance, Contracts & Subcontracts Administration, DCAA Audit Support, Government Regulations, Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)