Cherry Bekaert: Government Contractors Guidance

Join Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contractor Services Group for part one of a new podcast series discussing various aspects of the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 8(a) Business Development Program. The 8(a) 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.

Our Government Contractor Services group has an in-depth understanding of the 8(a) program and advises a number of 8(a) government contractors through each step of the process to add value and anticipate ongoing opportunities. From the initial important decisions made in becoming an 8(a), to the first contract, to how the company is growing throughout the life of the program.

In this first episode, Susan Moser, Partner and Leader of Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting practice and John Ure, Tax Partner and member of the Firm’s GovCon practice discuss the basics of the 8(a) program:

• What is the 8(a) program
• What are the opportunities, and
• What are the requirements to apply for the 8(a) program 

In future segments, we will discuss the requirements to stay in the program, winning sole source and competitive contracts and how to be successful.

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Listen to Eric Poppe, Senior Manager in Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting practice and Rich Wilkinson, Director of Product Marketing at Unanet discuss the importance of indirect rates. Indirect rates are more than just a math exercise. Having rates isn’t the objective. It’s having something you can use to figure out what your costs are. This is part one of a four-part series on indirect rates that Cherry Bekaert and Unanet will explore. In this episode we discuss:

Why do government contracting firms need indirect rates?

1. For pricing, estimating and forecasting
2. For managing project costs to the total cost line
3. If the firm has cost-type contracts, for billing the costs
4. If the firm has T&M contracts with G&A applied to non-labor, for billing the non-labor costs
5. If the firm has fixed price contracts with potential for increase(s) in scope, for pricing/negotiating the mods

Where do you start?

1. Well before the beginning of the fiscal year, prepare a budget for the coming year
2. Develop indirect rates from that budget
3. Submit the rates and support to your cognizant Administrative Contracting Officer (ACO) or the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA)

Once approved by the government, use the rates for managing projects and forecasting costs and revenue (internal) and for billing and pricing (external).

But that’s not the end. Developing rates and getting them approved is just the beginning of the cycle. In the next segment, we will discuss monitoring your rates during the year and what to do if your indirect rates aren’t what you thought they would be.

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President Biden signed an Executive Order (“EO”) on May 12th aimed at improving and preparing for cybersecurity defenses for public and private sector companies. The EO is aimed at improving protective measures to federal networks, information-sharing between the U.S. government and the private sector on cyber issues and the collective ability to respond when incidents occur. The EO addresses initiatives and directives in many areas, which Cherry Bekaert summarized in a recent alert.

Susan Moser, leader of Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contractor Services Group, John Ford, a senior consultant in the Firm’s GovCon Group and Neal Beggan, a Principal in Cherry Bekaert’s Information Assurance & Cybersecurity Practice discuss the impacts and timing of the EO, including a general discussion on the authority of Executive Orders, how the EO impacts the Department of Defense’s (“DoD”) Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (“CMMC”) program, and what companies should be doing now to protect their systems and data.

Cherry Bekaert will continue to keep contractors updated in future podcasts on the EO and CMMC as circumstances and timelines change. 

Never has the protection of data been more important, and the threats against it more present. Cyber breaches not only affect an organization’s bottom line but can negatively impact its reputation and brand. We help strengthen your organization with a comprehensive program of security technology, services and insurance. We customize your solution based on your specific needs and risks, as well as your line of business, industry and budget.

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Recent Court Cases that Impact Government Contractors: Pre-Award Bid Protests, Monitoring Compliance with Small Business Set-Aside Programs and Vetting Potential Business Partners

Eric Poppe, a senior manager in Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contracting Industry practice and Ryan Bradel, a partner and leader of Ward & Berry’s Government Contracts practice, discuss recent court cases that impact government contractors. Eric & Ryan walk through cases pertaining to protests and solicitations requirements, discussing each ruling, its impacts and lessons learned, so that contractors can gain a better understanding of the rulings and how to better navigate these situations.

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Listen to Susan Moser, leader of Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contractor Services practice and Brendan Halloran, a new member of our team discuss best practices when working with Contracting Officers, including what contractors may be surprised to know. 

Before to joining Cherry Bekaert, Brendan spent 10 years at the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) as a Divisional Administrative Contracting Officer (DACO) and supervisory contract specialist focused on cost and pricing. He was the Cognizant Federal Agency Official for multiple major defense contractor business divisions, responsible for ensuring compliance with FAR, Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement and CAS, including business systems requirements, and brings a unique perspective to the Firm’s government contracting advisory team.

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Part IV: How to Prepare for a CMMC C3PAO Assessment for Certification

Join Cherry Bekaert, a Registered Practitioner Organization (“RPO”) and one of the first Certified Third-Party Assessment Organizations (C3PAO) accredited to perform certification assessments for the Department of Defense’s (“DoD”) new Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (“CMMC”) program, for part four of our podcast series discussing the various elements of CMMC.

Neal Beggan, a Principal in Cherry Bekaert’s Information Assurance & Cybersecurity Practice, selected as one of the first Provisional Assessors nationwide by the CMMC Accreditation Body, leads the series along with Eric Poppe from the Firm’s Government Contractor Services Group, to provide contractors with the latest information on CMMC and navigating its impact on the government contracting community.

In part four of the series, Neal and Eric discuss how best to prepare for a CMMC C3PAO assessment for certification. As part of this podcast they discuss:

• Current Status & Estimated Timeline
• Preparing for Assessments: Three-Phased Approach
• Types of evidence needed to obtain a certification
• Independence Considerations

If you haven’t already, catch up on the series:

• Part 1: Current State of CMMC 
• Part 2: CMMC and the DFARS Clause
• Part 3: What to Expect in an Upcoming CMMC C3PAO Assessment & How to Prepare

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Part Three - What to Expect in an Upcoming CMMC C3PAO Assessment & How to Prepare

Join Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contractor Services Group for part three of our podcast series discussing the Department of Defense’s (“DoD”) new Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (“CMMC”). 

Neal Beggan, a Principal in Cherry Bekaert’s Information Assurance & Cybersecurity Practice, selected as one of the first Provisional Assessors nationwide by the CMMC Accreditation Body, leads the series along with Eric Poppe from the Firm’s Government Contractor Services Group, to provide contractors with the latest information on CMMC and navigating its impact on the government contracting community. 

In part three of the series, Neal and Eric continue their discussion on what you can expect in an upcoming CMMC Certified Third Party Assessment Organization (“C3PAO”) assessment for certification and how best to prepare now. As part of this podcast they will:

• Provide an overview of the assessment process
• Discuss types of evidence needed to obtain a certification
• Walk through the process of remediating findings
• Discuss the dispute resolution process put in place by the CMMC-AB

If you haven’t already, catch up on part one and two of the series:

• Part 1: Current State of CMMC
• Part 2: CMMC and the DFARS Clause

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Part Two - CMMC and the DFARS Clause
 
Join Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contractor Services Group for part two of a new podcast series discussing the Department of Defense’s (“DoD”) new Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (“CMMC”). 

Neal Beggan, a Principal in Cherry Bekaert’s Information Assurance & Cybersecurity Practice, selected as one of the first Provisional Assessors nationwide by the CMMC Accreditation Body, leads the series along with Eric Poppe from the Firm’s Government Contractor Services Group, to provide contractors with the latest information on CMMC and navigating its impact on the government contracting community. 

In part two of the series, Neal and Eric continue their discussion on the recent Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (“DFARS”) interim rule, Assessing Contractor Implementation of Cybersecurity Requirements, breaking down the components of the rule and the level of assessments, as well as providing some insight into assessors and a discussion of potential next steps.

 If you haven’t already, catch up on part one of the series:

• Part 1: Current State of CMMC

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For government contractors, timekeeping is more than an administrative headache. It is one of the core processes to ensure proper compliance, collection and allocation of labor when performing work on a government contract. Eric Poppe, Senior Manager and Javier Diaz, Manager in Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contractor Services group discusses timekeeping best practices, controls and why a proper timekeeping system is essential for doing business with the Federal government.

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Part One - Current State of CMMC

Join Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contractor Services Group for part one of a new podcast series discussing the Department of Defense’s (“DoD”) new Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (“CMMC”). The CMMC landscape has been taking shape and changing over the past few years and is approaching the finish line.

Neal Beggan, a Principal in Cherry Bekaert’s Information Assurance & Cybersecurity Practice, selected as one of 72 Provisional Assessors in the country by the CMMC Accreditation Body, will lead this series along with Eric Poppe from the Firm’s Government Contractor Services Group, to provide contractors with the latest information on CMMC and navigating its impact on the government contracting community.

In part one of the series, Neal and Eric will discuss: 

• Current state of CMMC
• Interim Rule Change
• Current state of CMMC assessments
• Tips and advice to government contractors hoping to become certified

View all Government Contracting Podcasts