Redstone Government Consulting Blog (41)

As Halloween 2020 is upon us, it is time to report on some of the more popular costumes or ideas for costumes applicable to organizations and/or individuals who are in politics, sports, acting, the media (i.e. newscasters) and federal agencies. Although our prior years’ Halloween blogs have focused on a few government agencies, current events have caused us to focus our research (thus this blog) primarily on the wonderful and friendly world of politics and political elections in the United States.

Let us Set the Stage

On June 11, 2020, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) put out a Notice (2020-46) that allowed employees to donate unused leave to charitable groups supporting the COVID-19 National Emergency. Under the leave-based donation program, employees can elect to forgo vacation, sick, or personal leave in exchange for cash payments that the employer makes to charitable organizations. The notice provides that employee’s donation of leave will not be taxable income to the employee, however the employer will still treat the cost of the leave granted to the employee as either ordinary and necessary business expense or a charitable contribution. This applies to donations made before the end of the 2020 calendar year.

This article is under review as a result of EO 14173, Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity, signed by President Trump on January 21, 2025. As we await further information from OFCCP and the courts, please reference this article for current status and action items.

On September 22, 2020, President Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) seeking to end what is characterized in the Order as "training sessions based on race and sex stereotyping and scapegoating" in the federal workforce, the Uniformed Services, and among federal contractors. The EO provides that it will be the policy of the United States "not to promote race or sex stereotyping or scapegoating" in the federal workforce and the Uniformed Services, and not to let grant funds to be used for these purposes.

Where Did This Come From?

National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2019, required the implementation of a new Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) rule barring federal contractors from using telecommunications products or services or video surveillance equipment from certain foreign companies – The People’s Republic of China. As a result, a new contract clause came into place – FAR 52.204-25, Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment – effective August 13, 2020.

A reminder of different contract vehicles and types and common terms in the business. A refresher for those in the industry or primer for those new to contracting.

Learn how to avoid the seven most common pitfalls in the Accounting module on your path to Costpoint success. Timing of AP check reversals and posting costs in the wrong accounting period can have serious impacts on accuracy of reporting and productivity within your organization.

DCAA Takes the Lead Over Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP)

In 2013, Congress put in place a new process for the calculation and publication of the compensation limitation (Cap) for all federal contractor employees. The process places the responsibility to calculate and publish the cap using the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Employment Cost Index (ECI) data on the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP). OFPP has failed in this responsibility for the last few years.

Physical floorchecks appear to be a thing of the past, at least during this COVID-19 pandemic. Watch our video as we walk you through a scenario, as experienced by a Government Contractor, of a virtual floorcheck. We play out the roles and responsibilities of management, compliance and employees as it relates to floorchecks, from DCAA notification, to expectations, to a beautifully acted example of a virtual floorcheck gone RIGHT and a virtual floorcheck gone WRONG. We also lay out questions that may be asked during a floorcheck as well as tips to surviving a DCAA floorcheck that every contractor should consider.