FAR: Government Contracting Mystery

Government Contracting Mystery The world of government contracting is often a mystery for those looking in from the civilian world. Many wonder what DCAA and FAR are. To clear up some of the mystery, here are answers to some common…

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More Unallowable Costs

More Unallowable Costs Government contractors must adhere to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), which provides businesses the guidelines on contract procurement. Under FAR, there are costs that are not billable to the government, such as, organizational costs, fines and penalties,…

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Allowable or Unallowable?

Allowable or Unallowable? Most business owners try to avoid nondeductible expenses for tax purposes per the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rules. Government contractors take this a step further by avoiding unallowable costs as per Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR).  What makes…

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How Can the HUBZone Help?

How Can the HUBZone Help? The world of government contracting can be a difficult world to establish a new business, especially a small business. This has been addressed through the ‘Small Business Reauthorization Act of 1997’.  As a result, the…

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DCAA Compliance Checklist

DCAA Compliance Checklist For government contractors, it is extremely important to be Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) compliant. Now that tax season is almost over, government contractors should take some time to make sure they are DCAA compliant.  Below is…

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Allowable Travel Costs

Allowable Travel Costs Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) If a government contractor incurs business travel costs, then all the costs should be fully allowable, right? Not necessarily, the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) provides guidance on allowable travel expenses in the…

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Are CPA’s Solely Tax Gurus?

Are CPA’s Solely Tax Gurus? The simple answer is no.  Certified Public Accountants (CPA) are much more than just tax gurus. These professional accountants are trusted business advisors whose services are only limited by the expertise and experience of each…

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Preaward Survey Failures– Part 2

Top 5 failures in a Preaward Survey Part 2 of 2-part series In part 1 of this series, we identified the top 5 epic fails of the preaward survey as involving the labor distribution, policies and procedures, generally accepted accounting…

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Incurred Cost Submission

Common Problems for the Incurred Cost Submission Besides of failing to submit an incurred cost submission (ICS) when required by the contract (“Who needs an Incurred Cost Submission?”), some of the most common ICS problems are found within the recording…

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Preaward Survey Failures– Part 1

Top 5 failures in a Preaward Survey Part 1 of 2-part series The preaward accounting system survey or audit (better known as preaward survey) is an evaluation on the prospective contractor’s accounting system.  It is documented on SF 1408.  This evaluation…

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