Guidelines On DCAA Compliant Accounting Procedures

By Catherine Mitchell


Government contracting is different from general contracting because of the stringent procedures followed before getting compliance. The biggest challenge which people face when getting into business with the government is the inability to get DCAA compliance. You cannot be allowed to contract for the government if your accounting books are not DCAA compliant. When you are compliant, it means that all your operations are according to the book and that you will reduce the time spent dealing with legal complications. Below are a few tips to guide you along the process.

The DCAA is an acronym for the defense contract auditing agency. This is the government department given the responsibility to audit all contracts that are related to the defense department. There are times when the Defense Contract Audit Agency comes in to help the government with audits that are not directly related to the audit agency, but close. The DCAA is responsible for the audit of billions of dollars, with the aim of making sure that the taxpayers are not getting swindled and that they get everything that they pay for.

When accounting procedures are said to be Defense Contract Audit Agency compliant, it means that they have been carried out according to the guidelines and the recommendations offered by the audit agency. For instance, the DCAA recommends that your accounting system have the ability to track costs separately, including direct as well as indirect costs. They also want a timekeeping system to be integrated with the accounting system to keep track of 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.

Next, it is good to know that there are resources allocated to help people interested in getting into government contracting to understand the process and prepare for it. There are government websites that contain a lot of reliable information about preparation for the audit, links, and checklists that help you get ready for the process. These offer the guidance needed before getting compliance.

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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