Maintaining DCAA-compliant accounting practices remains a top priority for new and established contractors. Avoiding the Defense Contract Contract Audit Agency’s (DCAA) compliance violations allows contractors to secure their contracts for the next renewal period, improve their reputation with their clients, and maintain operational efficiency.
As many contractors know, deploying a DCAA-compliant accounting workflow is costly. With federal accounting regulations constantly changing, many contractors must limit their scalability or overspend on their accounting departments to avoid compliance issues.
Project managers can avoid common compliance violations without paying for additional administrative labor by outsourcing the accounting process to a firm experienced in helping contractors pass DCAA audits.
What is a DCAA Compliance Violation?
Compliance violations occur when the DCAA auditor reviews a contractor’s accounting process and compares it to the agency’s federal standards. Numerous operational systems overlap in the DCAA’s investigation as they check the contractor’s cost reports, resource allocations, labor assignments, and more.
According to the DCAA’s online manual, multiple regulatory standards are used to determine compliance, including these significant pieces of legislation:
- Federal Acquisitions Regulations (FAR)
- Truth in Negotiations Act (TINA)
- Cost Accounting Standards (CAS)
- Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)
In-house accounting teams often need help understanding and applying these regulations, especially as they change. The penalties for DCAA compliance violations can be strict, including contract termination, debarment from future contracts, or criminal litigation. In the most serious DCAA accounting violations, the project manager who signed the cost certificates in question can face jail time.
These consequences, as well as the operational benefits of optimized accounting compliance, imply a need for diligence on the part of contractors and their project managers. Outsourcing the accounting process is one way to take the burden off in-house accounting teams and pass DCAA audits without additional administrative responsibilities.
The Benefits of Outsourced Accounting
Despite the repercussions of non-compliance, many contractors struggle to manage compliance due to its administrative and financial costs. The relevant regulations and accounting principles are complex and often change between accounting periods, making the accounting team’s task even more difficult.
To offset the costs of maintaining year-round accounting compliance, many contractors outsource their accounting workflows to experienced firms. Those who do so can experience numerous benefits, including:
Risk Mitigation
Project managers seeking to mitigate the risk of debarment or other legal repercussions from DCAA non-compliance can benefit from the protection of an experienced accounting firm. With their expertise, project managers can employ a more audit-friendly paper trail and better employee compliance training resources.
If accounting compliance issues do arise, the firm will be able to detect and resolve them more efficiently than an in-house accounting team. Additionally, in the event of serious non-compliance, the accounting management firm will take the majority of the scrutiny as the DCAA determines the impact of the violations.
Financial Scalability
Scaling accounting resources to match organizational growth while maintaining DCAA compliance is a major issue for all firms, regardless of their size or experience level. An outsourced accountant can aid project managers in strategic budgeting and planning to align the business’s operational goals with the DCAA’s compliance requirements.
Specialized cost allocation, accumulation, and reporting systems allow outsourced accounting firms to offer contractors comprehensive solutions to their most labor-intensive accounting processes.
Technology Upgrade
Many DCAA compliance violations stem from outdated workflows that use manual accounting methods, paper documentation, and other outdated systems. An external accounting firm will come equipped with modern accounting software solutions to help contractors avoid compliance violations related to outdated documentation, cost reporting, and training systems.
Regulatory Adaptability
While in-house accounting teams struggle to track regulatory changes, an experienced external accounting firm will always be up-to-date on the DCAA’s new compliance requirements, helping project managers avoid violations.
Unbiased Strategies
Project managers often struggle with strategizing a business’s accounting workflow without making personal judgments. External accounting firms provide unbiased financial strategies to help project managers increase their productivity with objective accounting advice.
Cost Reduction
Cost control is a significant factor in a contractor’s ability to maintain DCAA compliance. Cost objectives must be met per project and accurately reported, making it difficult for many contractors to scale their operations without risking financial non-compliance.
With an external accounting firm, contractors can save resources by downsizing or reallocating their in-house accounting teams. Their cost-reporting measures will be managed by a team of professionals trained in helping contractors meet their cost objectives while maintaining regulatory compliance.
Avoid DCAA Compliance Violations with Expert Accounting Services
With DCAA regulations changing and becoming more strict every year, project managers must be diligent about how they maintain regulatory compliance in their accounting processes. While maintaining in-house accounting compliance can be costly, outsourcing the accounting workflow to an external firm comes with many advantages, including greater risk mitigation, financial stability, and operational growth potential.
Diener & Associates is a team of experienced CPAs focused on helping government contractors overcome common challenges with federal compliance. Our team of CPAs reviews contractors’ accounting, timekeeping, and legal processes, conducting mock internal audits to detect compliance gaps, and assisting supervisors in their understanding of relevant federal standards, such as the GAAP.
Schedule a consultation today to learn how the expert CPAs at Diener & Associates can help you overcome common compliance challenges, even in your first government audit.