2026 Changes in Procurement Policies Leave Defense Contractors Dealing with Government Symptoms of “Multiple Personality Disorders”

In reference to the now outdated terminology “Multiple Personality Disorders” (now “DID” or Dissociative Identity Disorder), my focus is on two Government actions, the 2026 NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) and the very recent EO (Executive Order), “Prioritizing the Warfighter in Defense Contracting.” Before getting into the substance of this blog, just to note that one can only hope that the proposed/legislated changes to improve the efficiencies and effectiveness of the procurement process (for the Department of War and more broadly the US Government) will actually succeed and not be just one more set of idealized and unfulfilled political promises.

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Topics: Accounting System Compliance, Contracts & Subcontracts Administration, DFARS Business Systems, DCAA Audit Support, Government Regulations, Cost Accounting Standards (CAS)

Do Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) Apply to Fixed Price Contracts and Subcontracts?

Highlights

  • The Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act was signed into law on December 18, 2025, and includes statutory changes affecting the applicability of Cost Accounting Standards to certain government contracts and subcontracts.
  • Amendments in Section 1806 of the FY 2026 NDAA revised CAS applicability thresholds and contract price adjustment requirements, leading to confusion regarding fixed price contracts and subcontracts.
  • This Redstone GCI article explains how the FY 2026 NDAA impacts when Cost Accounting Standards apply at award and how post-award contract price adjustments are limited following cost accounting practice changes.

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Topics: Accounting System Compliance, Contracts & Subcontracts Administration, DCAA Audit Support, Government Regulations, Cost Accounting Standards (CAS)

Government Contractor Compensation Cap for Calendar Year (CY) 2026

For the last few years, our friends at the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) have been very helpful by publishing the Contractor Compensation Cap in the December timeframe. This year, I am guessing that the Government shutdown has diverted their attention. To help our clients, we have calculated the 2026 amount of the cap.

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Topics: Accounting System Compliance, Proposal Cost Volume Development & Pricing, Employee & Contractor Compensation, Incurred Cost Proposal Submission (ICP/ICE), DCAA Audit Support, Human Resources, Government Regulations, Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)

Expect More Grant Awards from DOE on the Genesis Mission to Build an AI Platform

On November 24, 2025, President Trump signed EO 14363, Launching the Genesis Mission to accelerate America’s race for global dominance in the application of AI to scientific discovery and scientific challenges.

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Topics: Accounting System Compliance, Incurred Cost Proposal Submission (ICP/ICE), DFARS Business Systems, DCAA Audit Support, Government Regulations, Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), Grants & Cooperative Agreements (2 CFR 200)

Whistleblowers Continue to File Qui Tam Suits for Cybersecurity Noncompliance

On December 5, 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) reported another settlement under the False Claims Act (FCA) related to cybersecurity. Swiss Automation agreed to pay $421,234 to the Government as a result of failing to provide adequate cybersecurity controls for drawings of parts supplied to Department of Defense (DoD) prime contractors. The qui tam suit under the False Claims Act (FCA) was brought forward by a whistleblower, not an Information Technology (IT) employee, but a Quality Control Manager of the company. The whistleblower received $65,291.

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Topics: Contracts & Subcontracts Administration, DFARS Business Systems, Contractor Purchasing System Review (CPSR), Government Regulations, Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), Material Management & Accounting System (MMAS), Cybersecurity, Commercial Item Determination

Big Changes Coming to the Cost Accounting Standards for Government Contractors

On Sunday, December 7, 2025, Congress put out a compromise version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). There is a lot in this version, but I wanted to bring to your attention the exciting possible changes to the Cost Accounting Standards (CAS).

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Topics: Accounting System Compliance, Contracts & Subcontracts Administration, Government Regulations, Export & Import, Cost Accounting Standards (CAS)

Why Employment Analytics Still Matter After EO 11246 Was Revoked

EO 14173 revoked EO 11246 Equal Employment Opportunity, which required covered federal contractors to practice affirmative action, develop written Affirmative Action Plans (AAPs) and implement compliant programs directed towards equal opportunities for women and minorities. This major change left contractors with a choice: set aside all efforts previously made toward compliance with EO 11246, or continue with employment analytics under a framework acceptable under EO 14173. In this article, we explain why we encourage you to consider the continuation of these efforts.

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Topics: Contracts & Subcontracts Administration, Human Resources, Government Regulations, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, Service Contract Act

What Government Contractors Should Expect from DCAA Audits After the Shutdown

Well, our friendly DCAA auditors are back after the Government shutdown. On December 2, 2025, Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) issued a memorandum to their auditors titled, “Actions Required for Assignment Due Dates Following Furloughs.”

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Topics: Proposal Cost Volume Development & Pricing, Incurred Cost Proposal Submission (ICP/ICE), Small Business Compliance, Contracts & Subcontracts Administration, DCAA Audit Support, Government Regulations

Are You Prepared for the 2025 Compliance Supplement and Audit Changes

On November 26, 2025, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued the 2025 Compliance Supplement. The Supplement outlines the compliance requirements to assist auditors in understanding the Federal program’s objectives, procedures and requirements when performing a Single audit for fiscal years beginning after June 30, 2024. The Compliance Supplement is normally issued in the spring of each year; however, OMB delayed its issuance to incorporate significant updates to 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, in October 2024. In order to assist auditors with the different requirements, Part 3 Compliance Requirements of the Supplement was divided into two Parts for audit testing as follows:

  • Part 3.1 for awards subject to 2 CFR 200 prior to October 2024 and
  • Part 3.2 for awards after October 1, 2024
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Topics: Accounting System Compliance, DFARS Business Systems, DCAA Audit Support, Contractor Purchasing System Review (CPSR), Government Regulations, Grants & Cooperative Agreements (2 CFR 200)

Do Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Requirements Apply to Grants?

The Department of Defense (DoD) issued a final rule on September 10, 2025, amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to incorporate the requirements of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) for FAR-based contracts and subcontracts, effective November 10, 2025.

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Topics: Small Business Compliance, Contracts & Subcontracts Administration, DFARS Business Systems, Government Regulations, Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), Cybersecurity, Grants & Cooperative Agreements (2 CFR 200)