In this session, we will introduce the students to the federal marketplace, the acquisition process, and the regulatory environment that surrounds it all. We will examine the various procurement vehicles that contractors utilize to fulfill their obligations to the US Government. We will also guide students through contract pricing and cost allowability to protect the interests of both the contractor and the federal government as well as help the contractor recuperate the costs associated with each contract. Learning Objectives: By the end of the webinar you should be able to:  Have a basic understanding of the federal acquisition process;  Understand the regulatory environment that surrounds the federal marketplace;  Identify the various procurement methods and contract types;  Determine the allowability of contract costs; and  Recognize the principles of contract pricing and the techniques of determining a fair and reasonable price.

Contracting Officers within the DoD are required to determine the acceptability of a contractor's business system, including approving or disapprove the system. Notably, this includes evaluating Property Management systems. This session provides guidance on how to navigate a DCMA Government Property System Review. While not all DoD property system reviews are conducted by DCMA, this audit team conducts thousands of audits per year across the contracting community. This webinar takes a practical view of FAR and DFARS requirements and DCMA's expectations for an approved property system. Instructors will work through the government property lifecycle from acquisition through disposition, recommending tips and tricks along the way, while addressing challenges before, during and after the audit. Learning Objectives:  High level review of FAR and DFARS property requirements  Government property lifecycle focus areas for contractors and auditors  Getting to system approval: common policy & procedure documentation expectations  Common DCMA data requests to expect and the rationale behind them  Sensitive areas and common contractor pitfalls, including ways to get in front of potential findings and facilitate timely corrective action

A negotiated contract (or procurement) allows the government to select a contractor based on criteria other than solely a formal price competition. The FAR provides guidance for conducting these types of procurements and the contract types that can be used by both the federal government and its contractors (e.g. fixed price, incentive, or cost-reimbursement). In this session, learn how these types of contracts can be both a challenge and an opportunity for contractors and about the extra steps necessary to justify the proposed price. Learning Objectives: By the end of the webinar you should be able to:  Differentiate between cost and price analysis and understand the appropriate times to apply each method;  Define cost or pricing data, certified cost or pricing data, and data other than cost or pricing data;  Understand defective pricing and how to prevent it; and  Utilize the six-step process to develop a compliance process that fits the needs of your firm.

A Forward Pricing Rate Proposal (FPRP) is one of the main outputs of a contractor's annual budgeting and planning cycle, and thus receives a lot of audit attention. Even though this attention occurs regularly during the year in connection with contract pricing proposals, DCAA re-scrutinizes FPRPs as part of an overall estimating system audit. Join our experts for this one-hour webinar - part of a larger webinar series focused on government audits - to discuss common forward pricing rate audit challenges and findings, strategic risk mitigation options, and tactical tips and tricks to ensure a successful audit. Learning Objectives:  The purpose and intent of forward pricing rates, and the focus of government audits  Who performs these audits, with a primary focus on the Defense Contract Audit Agency  Recent areas of attention and common challenges contractors face during FPRP and proposal audits  How estimating business system audits intersect with and are impacted from FPRP audits  Strategies for managing and addressing audit requests  Key estimating process risk areas and how to mitigate them

This session provides guidance on what to expect before, during, and after a DCAA Incurred Cost Proposal (ICP) audit. Along with covering the typical ICP audit process, we explore the normal areas of focus for DCAA, expected DCAA data requests and their purpose, typical DCAA findings and potential responses to those findings, as well as some best practices to avoid common pitfalls during the audit process. Learning Objectives:  Brief overview of the ICP and its purpose  DCAA selection criteria for ICP audits  Understanding the difference between an adequacy review vs. a full audit  Common DCAA data requests to expect and the rationale behind them  Common DCAA findings  Tips on how to defend against findings, particularly questioned costs  Most common challenges contractors face during an ICP audit and tips on how to overcome them

The session provides guidance on how to navigate a DCAA accounting system audit. The webinar takes a lifecycle approach. It begins with understanding the different accounting system and associated audit requirements, to supporting the audit process, through audit reporting and corrective action. This course emphasizes the practical realities of an accounting system audit by offering tips and tricks to get out in front of audit findings, managing auditor/auditee relationships, avoiding common pitfalls, and facilitating timely corrective action if adverse audit findings surface. Learning Objectives:  High-level overview of the accounting system requirements  Understanding and differentiation of accounting system audit types and associated approaches  Developing strong working relationships with DCAA  Common DCAA data requests to expect and the rationale behind them  Sensitive areas and common contractor pitfalls during accounting system audits  Tips and tricks to get in front of potential audit findings and facilitate timely corrective action

The session provides an overview of the cost impact process, with a specific focus on the parties involved in the review and audit, along with expectations from DCAA. We will discuss the factors that contribute to a cost accounting practice change and the requirements to submit a Cost Impact, including identifying the change, determining the impact population, calculating the impact and driving toward resolution. We will touch on many of the key deliverable expectations included in DCAA's Cost Impact Adequacy Tool and likely areas of emphasis during the audit. Learning Objectives:  Overview of the Cost Impact process, including parties involved  Characteristics of a Cost Accounting Practice Change  Understanding the difference between a General Dollar Magnitude and a Detailed Cost Impact  Common risk factors to think about that may be raised during a Cost Impact proposal audit  Overview of DCAA's Cost Impact Adequacy Tool

FAR Part 12 regulates commercial item acquisition. Selling a commercial item to the Federal Government sounds easy right? Wrong. The Federal Government wants to make sure it is getting a fair and reasonable price and ensure it is a commercially available item. This session will cover what determines an item or service to be commercial and how to effectively support price reasonableness. Learning Objectives: By the end of the webinar you should be able to:  Identify commercial items and commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) items;  Determine how to classify an item as commercial and document commercial items with an adequate commercial item determination (CID);  Support price reasonableness with the appropriate method of analysis (price or cost); and  Understand the DCMA Commercial Item Group's role in the federal acquisition process.

In this session, we will introduce students to the specialized contracting procedures that apply to contracts with the U.S. Government. We will examine the uniform contract format and discuss the purpose of each section, as well as identify the sections that are most likely to give rise to disputes. We will also introduce students to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and its agency-specific counterparts, with particular focus on the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS). Learning Objectives: By the end of this session, students will be able to:  Identify the unique features of Government contracts  Know where to find information about proposal preparation; identify important contract provisions; and identify critical compliance obligations in Government contracts  Navigate the parts of the FAR, and know where to find corresponding agency-level regulations.

In this session, we will discuss Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) including both full and modified CAS coverage. You will learn about each of the standards, applicability, exemptions, and CAS administration issues such as changes to cost accounting practices. Learning Objectives: By the end of the webinar you should be able to:  Understand the purpose of Cost Accounting Standards (CAS);  Identify the specified exemptions to CAS;  Analyze whether or not a contract is subject to CAS based on contract clauses and thresholds and if covered, whether modified or full coverage is required; and  Have a basic understanding of the cost accounting practice changes.