In this episode of Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting podcast, host and Government Contractor Services Director Brendan Halloran leverages his extensive knowledge and experience in the government contracting space. With a background as a Divisional Administrative Contracting Officer (DACO) at the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA), Bren…

In this episode of Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting podcast, Mike Cippel, a Managing Director in the Firm’s Outsourced Accounting Advisory practice, is joined by Irwin Kaplan, Director, to discuss how government contractors can begin to plan for next year. They cover the ideal timeframe for contractors to start preparing, as well as key plan…

In this episode of Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting podcast, we discuss the do’s, don’ts and pitfalls of outsourced accounting. Host Eric Poppe, a Managing Director in the Government Contracting Industry practice, is joined by Jonathan Reid, a Director in Outsourced Accounting Services. Tune in to learn more about: How outsourced accounting …

In this episode of Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting podcast, we discuss how to choose the right Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system that fits your company’s unique needs. Host Eric Poppe, a Managing Director in the Government Contracting Industry practice, is joined by Christine DeYuliis, a Senior Manager. Tune in to learn more about s…

In this episode of Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting podcast, we discuss ways to optimize the benefits of outsourcing your accounting operations. Host Craig Hunter, a Director in the Government Contracting Industry practice, is joined by Mike Cippel, Managing Director, and Directors Irwin Kaplin and Jonathan Reid. Tune in to learn more about:…

In the fourth episode of Cherry Bekaert’s Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) podcast series, Brendan Halloran, a Director in Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting Industry practice, is joined by Jeff Annessa, a Senior Manager in the Firm’s Government Contracting practice. Bringing extensive knowledge and experience in the government contracting spac…

In the second episode of Cherry Bekaert’s Operational Effectiveness podcast series, Eric Poppe, a Managing Director in Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting Industry practice, is joined by Todd Angioli, a Director in the Firm’s Government Contracting practice with 20+ years of financial operations experience. Together, Eric and Todd discuss mid-y…

In this episode of Cherry Bekaert’s GovCon Podcast host Eric Poppe, a Managing Director in Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting Industry practice, is joined by Vivian Kohrs, Director, Strategic Tax, and Bryan Weems, Senior Manager, Tax Credits and Incentives. Together they give an overview of research and development (R&D) credits for government…

In this episode of Cherry Bekaert’s GovCon Podcast, Brynn McNeil and Craig Hunter both Assurance Partners in Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting Industry practice, discuss revenue recognition for government contractors. Listen to learn more about: The five steps for recognizing revenue under Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 606 Understan…

In the third episode of Cherry Bekaert’s Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) podcast series, Brendan Halloran, a Director with Cherry Bekaert Advisory, is joined by Jeffery Annessa, a Senior Manager in Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contractor Industry practice, to discuss CAS implications during mergers and acquisitions. Cherry Bekaert’s government contr…

On December 26, 2023, the proposed rule for the Department of Defense (DoD) Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Program was published in the Federal Register. Listen to Eric Poppe, a Managing Director in Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contractor Industry practice and Brian Kirk, Senior Manager in the Firm’s Information Assurance & Cybers…

In this episode of Cherry Bekaert’s GovCon Podcast series on the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 8(a) Business Development Program, Brynn McNeil and Craig Hunter, assurance partners in Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting Industry practice, discuss accounting best practices for 8(a) companies. Listen to find out about: Setting up an accoun…

In the first episode of a new series on effective operational and financial performance for government contractors, Eric Poppe, a Managing Director in Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting Industry practice, is joined by Todd Angioli, a Director in the Firm’s GovCon practice with 20+ years of financial operations experience, to discuss considerat…

In the second episode of Cherry Bekaert’s Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) podcast series, Eric Poppe, a Managing Director in Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting Industry practice, is joined by Jeff Annessa, a Senior Manager in the Firm’s GovCon practice who spent 13+ years with DCAA and held various positions such as Quality Manager, Supervisor…

Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) are 19 standards and rules promulgated by 41 U.S.C. 422. These standards impact emerging small and large businesses alike. They are designed to achieve uniformity and consistency in cost accounting practices and to improve the accuracy of cost data by ensuring its basis on consistent definitions and principles. Ultim…

In this episode of Cherry Bekaert's Government Contracting podcast, Brendan Halloran, a Director in Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting Industry practice ,and Jeff Annessa, a Senior Manager in the Firm’s GovCon practice continue our Contractor Business Systems series, discussing system reviews, audit findings, corrective actions, and ACO determ…

The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) doesn’t provide many details on the specifics related to an adequate timekeeping system. However, the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) does have some specific requirements they look for when performing accounting system audits and labor floor checks. In this episode of Cherry Bekaert’s GovCon Podcast, Er…

The Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) recently released its Fiscal Year 2022 Report to Congress. By law, the DCAA is required to submit an annual report detailing the DCAA’s activities for the previous year. In this episode of Cherry Bekaert’s GovCon Podcast, Eric Poppe, a Managing Director in Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting Industry pra…

In this episode, Eric Poppe, a Managing Director in Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contractor Industry practice is joined by Matt Schiavone, Managing Director, and Brian Kirk, Senior Manager in the Firm’s Information Assurance & Cybersecurity practice to discuss the Department of Defense (DoD) Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) 2.0 prog…

In this eighth episode of Cherry Bekaert’s podcast series on Contractor Business Systems, Brendan Halloran, a Senior Manager in Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting Industry practice who was previously a Divisional Administrative Contracting Officer (DACO) at the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA), is joined by Roy Rushing, a Manager in t…

In this episode, Eric Poppe, a Managing Director in Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contractor Industry practice, is joined by Brian Kirk, Senior Manager in the Firm’s Information Assurance & Cybersecurity practice, to discuss the impact of the Draft NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-171 Revision 3 on the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Cybersecurity Mat…

A government contractor Material Management and Accounting System (MMAS), as outlined in Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) 252.242-7004, is a system for planning, controlling and accounting for the acquisition, use, issuance and disposition of material. It is under the cognizance of the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) a…

Government Property Management System is one of the six systems covered by the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Contractor Business Systems. In this sixth episode of Cherry Bekaert’s podcast mini-series on each of the six Contractor Business Systems, Eric Poppe, a Managing Director in Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting Industry practice, and Bren…

Contractors with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Clause 52.216-7, Allowable Cost and Payment included in their cost reimbursable and time & materials (T&M) contracts are required to submit an Incurred Cost Submission (ICS). Submitting your ICS on time to the appropriate Government Administrative Contracting Officer and the cognizant Defens…

In this episode, Eric Poppe, a Managing Director in Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contractor Industry practice, and Brian Kirk, Senior Manager in the Firm’s Information Assurance & Cybersecurity practice, share an update on the status of the final rule of the Department of Defense (DoD) Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) 2.0 program an…

In Part 1 of this two-part series, Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting Industry advisors discussed what companies need to consider when being acquired or acquiring a company that has federal contracts that are a significant part of their business, including some of the administrative items critical to that process. In Part 2 Brendan Halloran, a…

An Earned Value Management System (EVMS) refers to the software, processes, tools, templates and management controls a contractor uses to accomplish their earned value management activities in accordance with the guidelines established by the Electronics Industry Alliance (EIA) Standard 748. Earned Value Management Systems (EVMS) is the standard fo…

What are size standards and how does the Small Business Administration (SBA) determine a small business’s size? In this episode of Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting podcast series, John Ure and Carol Marin, Tax Partners in Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contractor Industry practice join James Kahrs, a Business Development Director in the Firm’s …

What is a Contractor Purchasing System? When is a Contractor Purchasing System required? What trends are being seen in solicitations? The fourth episode of Cherry Bekaert’s podcast series on each of the six Contractor Business Systems features Brendan Halloran, a Senior Manager in Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting Industry practice who previo…

Merger and acquisition activity is complex on its own, much less when you factor in government contracts. What should government contracting companies consider when evaluating a potential transaction? Join Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting Industry practice for a two-part series on government contract considerations during an acquisition. In …

In this episode Eric Poppe, a Director in Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contractor Industry practice, leads a panel discussion on the current state of the Department of Defense (DoD) Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) 2.0 program. He and the panel draw from the Firm’s own experience with the assessment process, having undergone a Level…

The 8(a) Business Development Program is a nine-year program created by the Small Business Administration (SBA) to help small, disadvantaged businesses compete and conduct business with the Federal government. The 8(a) Program offers small, disadvantaged businesses tremendous opportunities but contains stringent compliance requirements. What must c…

What year-end, tax-saving steps can government contracting businesses and their owners take? How can they prepare for tax law changes impacting 2023? In this episode of Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting podcast series, John Ure and Carol Marin, Tax Partners in Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contractor Industry practice and Private Client Service…

When should government contractors that work with the Department of Defense (DoD) be concerned about Cost Estimating System Requirements for compliance and adequacy per the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) What are the requirements and trends being seen in solicitations? In this third episode of Cherry Bekaert’s podcast ser…

The Contractor Business Systems podcast series hosts members of Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting Industry team to discuss each of the six contractor business systems—Accounting, Estimating, Purchasing, Earned Value Management Systems (EVMS), Material Management and Accounting System (MMAS), and Property Management. In this second episode, Er…

Continuing in our series on the Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a) Business Development Program and the All-Small Mentor-Protégé Program (previously the 8(a) Mentor-Protégé Program), the focus of this podcast episode is on how to handle basic accounting when entering into a Joint Venture (JV) agreement as part of a Mentor-Protégé (M-P) arrang…

Join Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting Industry team for part one of a new podcast series discussing the six contractor business systems—Accounting, Estimating, Purchasing, Earned Value Management Systems (EVMS), Material Management and Accounting System (MMAS), and Property Management. The series will discuss Business Systems applicability, …

As companies prepare for graduation from the Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a) program, there are many important considerations and decisions to be made. The key to successfully graduate and thrive is to plan well in advance. Listen to Susan Moser, Partner and Leader of Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting practice, John Ure, a Tax Partne…

Where does the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) 2.0 program currently stand? Neal Beggan, leader of Cherry Bekaert’s Risk Advisory Services and a Principal in Cherry Bekaert’s Information Assurance & Cybersecurity Practice and Eric Poppe, a Director in the Firm’s Government Contractor Services Group, discuss the latest information …

On February 14, 2022, the Office of Inspector General (OIG), U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a report on SBA’s Business Development Assistance to 8(a) Program Participants. The objective of the audit was “to determine to what extent SBA measures and monitors an 8(a) firm's progress toward achieving individual business development go…

The use of teaming agreements when competing for government contracts can create new government contract opportunities for businesses both large and small. Teaming and subcontracting agreements give companies the chance to win awards that they might not otherwise qualify for or have the depth of technical expertise and resources individually. There…

In this episode Neal Beggan, leader of Cherry Bekaert’s Risk Advisory Services and a Principal in Cherry Bekaert’s Information Assurance & Cybersecurity Practice, selected as one of the first Provisional Assessors nationwide by the CMMC Accreditation Body, and Eric Poppe, a senior manager in the Firm’s Government Contractor Services Group, discuss …

Idle facilities and the associated costs have always been a topic of debate between government contractors and the Federal government. Contractors need to proactively monitor their facility use to avoid potential questioned costs while ensuring they can meet contract work fluctuations and future demand. With businesses becoming more comfortable wit…

Listen to Brynn McNeil, an Assurance Partner in Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting Industry practice and Eric Poppe, a Senior Manager in the Firm’s GovCon practice, discuss the important elements of an agreement when forming a Mentor-Protégé/Joint Venture arrangement. They discuss: Benefits of the Mentor-Protégé Program Basic principles to con…

The nine-year Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a) Business Development Program is a business assistance program that was created to help small, disadvantaged businesses wanting to do business with the Federal government gain a foothold in Federal government contracting. Listen to Susan Moser, Partner and Leader of Cherry Bekaert’s Government C…

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act at the start of the pandemic was a lifeline for millions of small businesses in the U.S. The Paycheck Protection loan program (PPP) and the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) provided relief and cash for all kinds of small businesses, but for government contractors, the confusion and chang…

Join Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contractor Services Group for part six of our podcast series discussing various aspects of the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 8(a) Business Development Program. In this episode, Brynn McNeil, an Assurance Partner in Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting practice and Eric Poppe, a Senior Manager in the Firm’…

Listen to Brendan Halloran, a Senior Manager in Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting Industry practice who previously spent 10 years at the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA), and Curt Smith, a manager in the Firm’s GovCon practice who spent 12 years at the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA), discuss allowability and where contractors m…

Many of our government contracting clients are taxed as a pass-thru entity, generally an LLC that's taxed as a partnership or an S corporation. It is important to plan at both the entity level and the individual level since in the case of pass-thrus, the income is passed down to the individual owners through a Form K-1 regardless of distributions r…

The Incurred Cost Submission (ICS) is an administrative hurdle and something that government contractors do not look forward to putting together every year. However, it is required to be submitted six months after the end of a company’s fiscal year for any contractor who has cost-type and T&M contracts that contain the Allowable Cost and Payment Cl…