Share Your Ideas With GSA

www.Data.gov General Services Administration has another great website for you to bookmark. Data.gov allows you to track electronic payments made by the government, browse a catalog of government programs that assist the public, see a list of prospective government contractors and review parties excluded from receiving federal contracts. Everything but the kitchen sink is available in this one site. Check it out!

On April 7, 2010, the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Open Government Plan will be available to view online. Up through March 19th, the GSA solicited ideas from vendors, organizations and within the government community for how it could become more transparent, participatory and collaborative in doing business. To view submitted ideas and vote on whether you agree or disagree with each, and to see what else the GSA has been working on, click here.

Oh, No! Say It Isn’t So! Contract Audits

Businesses that have concerns about the contract audit process should first contact their local DCAA office. Only after your local office cannot resolve the issue should you proceed to contact your regional DCAA office for help. Each region has a Deputy Regional Director that serves as your business point of contact:

Central Region (Irving, TX)	972-753-2513
Eastern Region (Smyrna, GA)	770-319-4400
Mid-Atlantic Region (Philadelphia, PA)	215-597-7453
Northeastern Region (Lowell, MA)	978-551-9710
Western Region (La Mirada, CA)	714-228-7003

To find the DCAA field audit office, go to www.dcaa.mil for a directory.

DCAA performs all needed contract audits for the Department of Defense (DOD) and provides accounting and financial advisory services regarding contracts and subcontracts to DOD and contractors. DCAA can also provide other government agencies audits if requested. It also performs audits which identify opportunities for contractors to reduce or avoid costs.

Pre-award Survey
A pre-award survey is an audit to determine the acceptability of a contractor’s accounting system. The contractor’s ability to generate government contracts is an important part of the award selection. It is very important for the operating system to provide accurate information and is readily available to view.

Audit of the Proposal
The contracting officer makes a request for the auditor to examine selected parts or the entire proposal. The auditor will then issue an opinion as to the acceptability of the contractor’s proposal.

A DCAA Audit
An audit is initiated when the Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO) or the Administrative Contracting Officer (ACO) submits a request to the DCAA office. The auditor then contacts a company representative to set up an entrance conference to begin the audit. Upon the completion of the audit, the auditor will hold an exit conference with a company representative. The contractor is responsible for justifying all items supporting the costs. The following are examples of what may be requested:

• Source documents supporting sales history, quantities and prices
• Documents identifying special terms and conditions
• Documents identifying customarily offered discounts for an item
• Sources of financial data such as surveys, financial studies, etc.
• Catalogs and price lists
• Historical data for an item previously not determined commercial that the offeror is now trying to qualify as a commercial item

Electronic Submission
The electronic submission may be eligible via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), Wide Area Workflow (WAWF) and/or other web invoicing. However, if an auditor requests forms SF-1034 and 1035*, they must be provided whether the invoice was submitted electronically or not. Important Note: Contractors should submit according to the terms of the contract, including any special billing or payment instructions.

*SF 1034: Public Vouchers for Purchases and Services Other Than Personal.
SF 1035: Public Vouchers for Purchases and Services Other Than Personal Continuation Sheet