Washington D.C. Capitol building. American flag flying nearby. Northern, VA, Maryland, Government Contractors, Defense Contractors, War Contractors.

FAR, DFARS & CAS Compliance Advisory

The Federal Acquisition Regulation is one of the most complex regulatory frameworks in American business and for government contractors, non-compliance isn't just a legal risk, it's a contract risk. We provide ongoing FAR, DFARS, and Cost Accounting Standards advisory to help contractors stay compliant, respond to regulatory changes, and build compliance into their operations before problems arise.

Our FAR and CAS advisory services include:

  • FAR Part 31 Cost Principle Compliance - Identifying unallowable costs, ensuring proper treatment, and protecting your reimbursable cost base

  • Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) Applicability Assessment - Determining your CAS coverage threshold and disclosure obligations

  • CAS Disclosure Statement Preparation (CASB DS-1 & DS-2) - Accurately documenting your cost accounting practices for full CAS-covered contracts

  • DFARS Compliance Advisory - Guidance on cybersecurity, supply chain, and other DFARS specific requirements with financial compliance implications

  • Contractor Purchasing System Review (CPSR) Preparation - Supporting contractors approaching the CPSR threshold with policy and procedure development

  • Proposal Pricing & Cost Volume Support - Building compliant, competitive cost proposals that reflect your actual cost structure and stand up to price analysis

GovCon Advisory & Accounting Services for Federal Contractors Pre-Award Through Close-Out

Winning a federal contract is one thing. Building the financial infrastructure to perform, comply, and compete for the next one is another challenge entirely. At Assured Financial Services, we work with small to midsize government contractors at every stage of their GovCon journey from setting up a DCAA-compliant accounting system before your first award to managing indirect rates, incurred cost submissions, and FAR compliance as your business scales. If federal contracting is part of your growth strategy, you need a financial partner who speaks the language and has the experience to back it up.

DCAA Accounting System Setup & Compliance

A DCAA-compliant accounting system isn't optional, it's a prerequisite for cost-type contracts and a competitive differentiator for every contract you pursue. Whether you're preparing for your first DCAA audit or restructuring an existing system that isn't “passing muster”, we build and configure accounting systems that meet the standards auditors expect and contracting officers require.

Our DCAA accounting system services include:

  • SF1408 Pre-Award Accounting System Evaluation Preparation - We assess your current system against DCAA's SF1408 criteria and close the gaps before the auditor does

  • Accounting System Design & Implementation - Building a compliant chart of accounts, job costing structure, and cost pool framework from the ground up

  • DCAA Audit Readiness Assessments - Identifying vulnerabilities in your current system before a formal audit occurs

  • Timekeeping System Compliance - Ensuring your timekeeping policies, procedures, and controls meet DCAA's labor charging requirements

  • Internal Controls Development - Establishing the policies, procedures, and documentation standards that support a clean audit outcome

  • Post-Audit Remediation - If you've received findings or a disapproval, we help you correct deficiencies and rebuild toward a compliant system

Incurred Cost Submission (ICS) Preparation

Every contractor with cost-reimbursable contracts is required to submit an annual Incurred Cost Submission and getting it wrong carries serious consequences, from disallowed costs to contract disputes. We prepare accurate, well-documented ICE model submissions that stand up to DCAA scrutiny and protect your reimbursable cost position.

Our ICS services include:

  • Annual Incurred Cost Submission (ICE Model) Preparation -Complete, compliant submissions prepared and filed on schedule

  • Schedule Development & Documentation - All required schedules prepared with proper supporting documentation

  • Direct vs. Indirect Cost Classification Review - Ensuring costs are allocated correctly and consistently with your disclosed practices

  • DCAA ICS Audit Support - Representing your interests and responding to auditor inquiries throughout the review process

  • Multi-Year Submission Catch-Up - For contractors who have fallen behind on ICS filings, we get you current with a structured remediation plan

Pre-Award vs. Post-Award…We Support Both!

Federal contractors come to AFS at two very different points in their journey — and we've built our practice to serve both well.

If you're pre-award - You may be pursuing your first cost-type contract, responding to an RFP that requires a compliant accounting system, or preparing for a DCAA pre-award survey. We help you get the infrastructure in place quickly and correctly so compliance never costs you a contract opportunity.

If you're post-award and growing - You have active contracts, a billing system, and indirect rates in place but increasing contract volume, new contract types, or an upcoming audit is exposing gaps in your financial infrastructure. We step in as your GovCon financial partner, strengthening your systems, managing your rates, and keeping your compliance posture audit-ready year-round.

Indirect Rate Structure Development & Management

Your indirect rate structure directly impacts your competitiveness on every bid and your profitability on every contract. A poorly designed rate structure can cost you awards, compress your margins, and create compliance exposure — all at the same time. We help contractors build, manage, and defend indirect rate structures that are both compliant and strategically sound.

Our indirect rate services include:

  • Indirect Rate Structure Design - Fringe, overhead, G&A, and material handling pools built around your specific contract mix and business model

  • Forward Pricing Rate Development - Defensible rates for proposal submissions that reflect your actual cost structure

  • Provisional Billing Rate Setup & Monitoring - Ensuring your billing rates stay current and aligned with actual costs throughout the year

  • Rate Variance Analysis - Identifying and managing rate fluctuations before they create billing or audit problems

  • Cost Allocation Methodology Review - Confirming your allocation bases are FAR-compliant and consistently applied

Frequently Asked Questions

Federal contracting rewards contractors who build the right financial infrastructure and penalizes those who don't. Whether you're pursuing your first government contract or managing a portfolio of active awards, AFS brings the GovCon financial expertise your business needs to compete, comply, and grow with confidence. Review our FAQ’s and schedule your free 30-minute consultation to see how your company holds up against industry standard.

  • For firm-fixed-price (FFP) contracts, a DCAA-compliant system is not always required upfront — though it is still a competitive advantage. For cost-type contracts (CPFF, T&M, cost-reimbursable), a compliant accounting system is effectively a requirement. DCAA can conduct a pre-award accounting system survey, and a disapproval can kill an otherwise winning bid. We strongly recommend getting your system compliant before you need it…not after you've already won!

  • A failed audit or a system disapproval is serious, but not insurmountable. DCAA will issue findings and may withhold reimbursement on certain costs until deficiencies are corrected. We help contractors understand exactly what went wrong, develop a corrective action plan, and rebuild toward a compliant system as efficiently as possible. The key is responding quickly and methodically, not defensively.

  • Your indirect rates affect every proposal you submit. Rates that are too high can price you out of awards, while rates that are too low can erode your margins on cost-type work. We benchmark your rate structure against your contract mix, business model, and comparable contractors to ensure your rates are both FAR-compliant and competitively positioned. If your current rates haven't been reviewed recently, that review is often one of the highest-ROI conversations we have with new clients.

  • Yes! This surprises many contractors who assume DCAA compliance requires expensive, enterprise-level software. QuickBooks Online, when properly configured, can absolutely be a DCAA-compliant accounting system. The key is in the setup i.e. your chart of accounts, job costing structure, labor charging controls, and cost pool framework all need to be built to DCAA's standards, regardless of which platform you use. What makes a system compliant isn't the software itself…it's how it's configured, documented, and consistently operated. We help contractors build DCAA-compliant systems in QuickBooks Online, Deltek Costpoint, and Unanet, so you can choose the platform that fits your size, budget, and contract complexity.

  • We work with three of the most widely used GovCon accounting platforms Deltek Costpoint, Unanet, and QuickBooks Online. We also help contractors choose, implement, and configure the right system for their specific situation. QBOL is an excellent starting point for smaller contractors or those pursuing their first cost-type contract as it's cost-effective, widely understood, and fully capable of supporting DCAA compliance when set up correctly. Unanet is a strong mid-market option that combines project accounting, time and expense management, and CRM in a single platform it’s a wonderful option for growing contractors managing multiple contract types. Deltek Costpoint is the industry standard for larger or more complex GovCon operations, offering the deepest compliance functionality and the most robust reporting for contractors managing significant contract portfolios. Not sure where you fall? We'll assess your contract mix, headcount, and growth trajectory during your consultation and give you a straight recommendation.