Does Your Company Qualify as a “Major Contractor” for IR&D Reporting?

The calendar year ended December 31st and you are closing your books and gathering information for your incurred cost submission that is due June 30th. There is one more requirement you should consider that may have been overlooked. Does your company meet the requirement to input independent research and development (IR&D) costs into the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC)?

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Topics: Compliant Accounting Infrastructure, Incurred Cost Proposal Submission (ICP/ICE), Cost Accounting Standards (CAS)

Buy American – Don’t Get Caught With Your Documentation Down

What’s New in this Long-Standing Area?

The FAR Council at long last issues final rule to implement the Trump Executive Order 13881, Maximizing Use of American-Made Goods, Products, and Materials. Only a few days later a Biden Executive Order 14005, Ensuring Future of America is Made in America by all of America’s Workers, hit the streets.

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Topics: Proposal Cost Volume Development & Pricing, Incurred Cost Proposal Submission (ICP/ICE), Small Business Compliance, Contracts & Subcontracts Administration, DFARS Business Systems, DCAA Audit Support, Contractor Purchasing System Review (CPSR), Government Regulations, Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)

DFARS Class Deviation 2020-O0021 and 2020-O0013 Revision

DFARS Class Deviation 2020-O0021 Revision

On January 15, 2021, the Principal Director at Defense Pricing and Contracting (DPC) issued a memorandum on the CARES Act Section 3610 Reimbursement Requests, DFARS Class Deviation 2020-O0021, Revision 2. This memorandum revises and supersedes the DFARS Class Deviation 2020-O0021 Revision 1 issued on October 14, 2020. The only revision is to extend the period for which paid leave must be taken from March 27, 2020 through December 11, 2020 to March 27, 2020 through March 31, 2021. The remainder of the memorandum remains unchanged and details are included in Redstone GCI’s blog.

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Topics: Compliant Accounting Infrastructure, Incurred Cost Proposal Submission (ICP/ICE), COVID-19

What to Expect During an Incurred Cost Submission Audit


Contractors with cost reimbursable contracts that include the Allowable cost and payment clause, FAR 52.216-7 or Payments under Time-and-Materials and Labor-Hour contracts clause, FAR 52.232-7, are required to submit an Incurred Cost Proposal for each fiscal year costs were incurred on any cost reimbursable contract. This incurred cost proposal is provided to your Administrative Contracting Officer (ACO) and Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) with a deadline of six months after the Contractor’s fiscal year end. Once the Incurred Cost Proposal is received by DCAA, they review it for adequacy. DCAA provides a notification to the Contractor, typically via email, that the proposal is deemed adequate for audit or outlines changes DCAA believes are necessary. That is great to know it is adequate for audit but what does that mean? This means that DCAA has reviewed the incurred cost proposal and determined that the schedules are properly completed for them to begin the audit potentially.

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Topics: Incurred Cost Proposal Submission (ICP/ICE), Small Business Compliance, DCAA Audit Support, Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)

Thought There Were 52 Unallowable Costs – Not So Fast

A Little Background

FAR Part 31, Cost Principles, is the regulation that government contractors must follow in order to account for cost on most government contracts. Within FAR Part 31 is FAR 31.205, Selected Costs. This part of the cost principles regulation specifically spells out unallowable cost that the government will not pay for under a government contract. This section starts at FAR 31.205-1 and goes all the way up to FAR 31.205-52. However, it should be noted that FAR 31.205-2, 5, 9, 24, 45, and 50 are “Reserved” – These reserved cost areas went the way of the dinosaur over time, hopefully not to return. For example, FAR 31.204-2, Automatic Data Processing Equipment Leasing Costs, required an annual demonstration that leasing computer equipment was cost-effective, i.e., lowest cost to the Federal Government.

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Topics: Incurred Cost Proposal Submission (ICP/ICE), Contracts & Subcontracts Administration, Government Compliance Training, DCAA Audit Support, Government Regulations, Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)

Are Contract Briefs Necessary?

What is a Contract Brief?

A contract brief is a document which identifies information about the contract, contract administration representatives and significant contract terms and conditions.

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Topics: Compliant Accounting Infrastructure, Incurred Cost Proposal Submission (ICP/ICE)

DCAA Takes the Lead on Compensation Cap

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.

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Topics: Employee & Contractor Compensation, Incurred Cost Proposal Submission (ICP/ICE), DCAA Audit Support, Government Regulations, Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)

Is Six Months Best for Incurred Cost Proposals, A New Game is Afoot

As we wrap up another hectic year of working with contractors to prepare, review and submit their Incurred Cost Proposals, it had us questioning…“Why do so many contractors wait until the last minute of their deadline to submit? Is there an advantage to submitting at the last minute or is submitting at the last minute actually a disadvantage?”

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Topics: Incurred Cost Proposal Submission (ICP/ICE), Contracts & Subcontracts Administration, Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)

Why Bid and Proposal Cost is so Confusing to Government Contractors

Accounting for Bid and Proposal (B&P) Explained

Bid and Proposal is a topic that comes up with our contractor clients on a regular basis. Most questions surrounding this topic involve: whom at the contractor should be charging B&P, especially, contractor personnel that typically charge overhead or G&A. We understand why this is confusing. It is our opinion that the guidance per FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulations) and CAS (Cost Accounting Standards) regarding this topic is unclear and leaves contractors scratching their heads trying to be compliant.

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Topics: Compliant Accounting Infrastructure, Incurred Cost Proposal Submission (ICP/ICE), Cost Accounting Standards (CAS)

Limitation of Cost or Funds – The Burden Falls on You

UPDATED – June 18, 2024

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Topics: Compliant Accounting Infrastructure, Incurred Cost Proposal Submission (ICP/ICE), Contracts & Subcontracts Administration, DCAA Audit Support, Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)