GovCon Intelligence

A 5-point reduction in your overhead rate on a $3M direct labor base saves $150,000 per year. Most small contractors carry 10-30 points of excess rate from bookkeeping problems, not business problems. Seven DCAA-compliant strategies to lower your rates and win more contracts.

Phase I lets you operate with a basic bookkeeping system. Phase II demands DCAA-compliant accounting, daily timekeeping, documented indirect rates, and a system that passes an SF 1408 pre-award survey. The financial leap between phases catches most first-time awardees off guard.

In 2026, SBA suspended 1,091 firms that couldn’t produce three years of records in 30 days. The contractors who shipped documents in 48 hours had a monthly compliance workflow. Here is that workflow: a 12-month checklist that makes annual reviews and data calls a non-event.

You filed your incurred cost submission by the deadline. Now what? DCAA has a defined process for reviewing your submission, selecting it for audit, and finalizing your indirect rates. Here is every step, from adequacy review to final rate agreement.

You won the contract. Now you have 90 days to build an accounting system that survives a DCAA audit. This week-by-week checklist covers every step, from chart of accounts to your first incurred cost reconciliation.

Government contractors searching for DCAA bookkeeping help deserve straight answers on pricing. This guide breaks down what services cost in 2026, what drives price differences, and how to evaluate whether a provider delivers real value or hidden fees.

Your bookkeeper records transactions. A government contractor CPA defends those transactions under audit. This article explains when general bookkeeping stops being enough and what a GovCon-specialized CPA actually does for your contracts.

Timekeeping is the most audited area in government contracting. DCAA tests it in nearly every engagement. This guide covers the setup requirements, software options, policy essentials, and floor check preparation that keep your labor costs defensible.

How government shutdowns affect contractor payments, billing, and indirect rates. A CPA-guided financial playbook for payment delays.

Signs your government contracting business has outgrown QuickBooks. Compare QuickBooks vs Deltek, Unanet, and Procas for DCAA compliance.