Getting DCAA Compliant In Your Accounting: Tips And Guidelines

By Catherine Mitchell


If you are interested in getting into government contracting, then you know there is a need to clean up your practice. One of the biggest headaches that people have when trying to venture into this business is getting DCAA compliance. Defense Contract Audit Agency compliance means that you will be dealing with the business according to the law. It also means that you reduce the time spent on legal issues. If you are new to this business, here are some tips and pointers that you will find useful when trying to become dcaa compliant.

The DCAA the arm of the government charged with the responsibility of auditing all contracts connected to the department of defense. There are times when the DOD contract Audit Agency can be brought in to assist the government with other audit-related services. The DCAA audits billions of dollars annually to make sure that taxpayers are getting what they are paying for.

Accounting procedures are termed as Defense Contract Audit Agency compliant when they are carried out according to the recommendations of the DOD audit agency. A few of the basic recommendations that are offered by the DCAA include having an accounting system with the ability to keep track of costs separately and classify them as direct as well as indirect costs. Other common requirements include having a time tracking system integrated into the accounting system to be able to track all transactions in real time.

The most important thing to learn about the DOD audit agency is exactly what their audit entails. There is a huge difference between the parameters that are followed by commercial auditing agencies and those followed by the Defense Contract Audit Agency. The government focuses on areas such as allowable costs, indirect costs, unallowable cost pooling, and cost pools, among other related issues. Your preparation for an audit should focus on these areas.

Not many people understand that there is more than one type of Defense Contract Audit Agency audit. The basic audit types include pre-award audits, the forward pricing audits, and incurred cost audits. Other related costs include CPSR reviews. There are also circumstances which can lead to the DOD requesting specific audits, which are classified as special audits. When you know the specific audit type you are about to get, you prepare appropriately.

Before getting a government contract, the agency may perform what is known as a pre-award survey. The survey is meant to establish whether your business can perform all the tasks specified by the contract. The survey will look at your business financial ability, whether the accounting system is acceptable and can keep track of costs.

There are resources that are available to help small business contractors to help them prepare for the audit process. The resources include links, checklists, and other important information about what is required before one can be certified s compliant.

These are just a few of the important things to understand about Defense Contract Audit Agency compliant accounting. The most important bit is to always get an expert to handle the auditing preparation process. They will tell you what you need to do to achieve compliance and help you do everything according to the books.




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