Redstone Government Consulting Blog | Redstone Team (5)

Source: Deltek blog

A full DCAA Business System Audit can be the longest and one of the most difficult audits a government contractor can experience. To provide some perspective, at a recent audit of one of our clients, DCAA sent 15 auditors to perform the audit. In general, our experience is that these audits take 12 months to over 18 months for DCAA to perform.

In our last newsletter, we focused on some of the unnecessary obstacles small businesses face in the regulatory environment and areas where, in our opinion, Government auditors, particularly DCAA, misinterpret regulatory guidance in their efforts to question costs.

This is the second of a two-part blog series where we tackle small business joint ventures and the SBA Mentor-Protégé Program. In this blog, we will discuss small business joint ventures and how a government contractor can get involved in one.

Every month our team’s charity committee comes up with clever ideas centered around a truly important part of our organization: giving back to the community. In this month’s installment, they took it to the next level with the so called, "One Chip Challenge."

This is the first of a two-part blog series where we will tackle small business joint ventures and the SBA Mentor-Protégé Program. In this blog, we will discuss the SBA Mentor-Protégé Program.

As we approach the third quarter of the year, now is a good time to review your payroll setup and wages for accuracy. I often find that whether the client is a seasoned payroll processor, or new to Costpoint and payroll in general, there can be errors in wages that are not obvious in day-to-day processing. There are numerous actions you can take to prepare for a smooth year end. For example, start by ordering forms early in the last quarter of the year. Many sources for W2s, 1099s, ACA forms, etc. will sell out in January. Also, be sure to register for access to the Social Security Administration for W2 upload since this process can be time consuming waiting on the access codes to be snail mailed.

On July 9th, 2021, the Department of Defense (DoD)issued a final rule in the Federal Register to implement 10 U.S.C. 2330a which requires the DoD to establish a data collection system to provide certain management information about an awarded contract or task order that is valued in excess of $3 million. This new rule is applicable for the following service acquisition portfolio groups:

• logistics management services
• equipment-related services
• knowledge-based services
• electronics and communications services

You may read the entire rule here.

In my years as a CPA and consultant I’ve worked with many small businesses that have asked for input on what they need to be doing to get more reliable financial data. Usually, it’s business owners looking for ways to be able to make important decisions faster, but lately it’s often companies new to government contracting that are trying to figure out what they need to be doing to keep clear of problems with DCAA. In either scenario, one of my first suggestions is a formal monthly close process. When I say “formal”, that doesn’t mean that it has to be cumbersome and complicated. If the business financials are relatively simple, then that close process can also be fairly simple and still be effective. But it needs to be structured, with a specific checklist in place as to the procedures that are to be performed, the order in which they are to be done, who is responsible for each task, and target deadlines for each. That recommendation then raises the next question – what do you mean by “close”?

If having unbilled receivables is a new concept based on your experience with other software systems, you may find it a relief that having an unbilled balance is not necessarily bad or wrong. Unbilled Receivables is the offsetting account for billing and revenue postings in Deltek Costpoint. When a billing is posted, the Billed Receivables account is debited, and Unbilled Receivables account is credited. For the revenue posting, the Unbilled Receivables account is debited and Revenue account credited. Hence, if the billing and revenue posting amounts are the same, the offsetting Unbilled Receivables account will be zero. That sounds great, however, there may be situations where billing and revenue do not or should not match, which then creates a balance in the Unbilled Receivables account. So, when is it okay to see an Unbilled Receivables balance?

Have questions regarding what travel costs are allowable? Do you think the travel regulations say you can never have first-class airfare reimbursed? Or do you think the regulation says you are restricted to a compact rental car? For the answer to these questions and more, check out our video on travel regulations and myths!