DCAA Compliance Guidelines For Your Small Business

Small business contractors working for the Department of Defense (DoD) have a duty to achieve and maintain compliance with strict government regulations and requirements. Failing to meet DCAA compliance guidelines could endanger a contractor’s current engagement or bar them from applying for and obtaining future federal contract opportunities.

Regulations and requirements specific to contractors are governed and monitored by the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) and include providing your employees with everything they need to do their jobs with ease and success.

If you are seeking your first or next government contract, we want to help you achieve and maintain the required DCAA compliance for small business owners.

Tips and Strategies for Your Small Business to Maintain Continuous DCAA Compliance

The most important thing to remember working with the DOD is how critical it is that you don’t fall behind standard DCAA Compliance Guidelines, which primarily entails keeping track of your business finances and your employees’ time tracking to ensure timely regular payments and their ongoing productivity and success.

Our team at Hour Timesheet understands how much you have to think about. With your business’s success in mind, we have compiled our three top tips and strategies to help you keep your small business DCAA compliant to protect your project, small business and future federal prospects.

1. Follow DCAA Compliance Guidelines for your accounting processes

The best way to prepare for an unanticipated audit is to set yourself up for continuous preparedness by instituting standard policies and procedures to keep everything running smoothly. If everyone is on the same page and can access records essential for audits in an instant, you won’t need to worry about moments of panic and chaos if you get the auditing call or visit.

We recommend that you make it regular practice to organize all invoices, track expenses, account for employee timesheets and check everything twice to ensure optimal efficiency, which can empower your team to maintain DCAA compliance.

2. Back up your pricing for proposals

Each time you create a proposal, you need to bid appropriately and back up your pricing with supporting research results and data. Make this task a priority because, if you have to undergo a DCAA audit, they will want this information, and it’s essential that you can easily provide all the data that supports your requested budget and subsequent uses of the funds.

Create a proposal template that allows you to include critical information, such as contract rates, labor hours and any other costs in an easily accessible way that you can explain to the auditors without hesitation.

3. Work with industry thought leaders who can help you maintain DCAA compliance with confidence

It’s important that you don’t underestimate how vital it is that you can prove you have consistently maintained DCAA compliance guidelines. Our team at Hour Timesheet works daily to continue enhancing our timekeeping software to help you prepare for an audit as if it could happen at any moment. The best part is that you will be prepared if it does, and you can relax in the meantime.

Contact us to learn more about our simple employee time tracking system designed for DCAA compliance.

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What Triggers A DCAA Audit?

Because the federal government works on behalf of U.S. taxpayers, it is essential to closely monitor contractor spending for projects. That means that any contractors must understand and comply with certain DCAA audit requirements and regulations to account for spending.

There are times when a contracted business might attract the attention of the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA), triggering a DCAA audit request. As a potential or current contractor for a Department of Defense (DoD) project who must also comply with Department of Labor (DOL), you might be wondering exactly triggers different types of DCAA audits.

Common DCAA Audit Triggers

As a general rule, DCAA audits might focus on your business systems, employee time tracking practices, accuracy of forward pricing and incurred cost representations, and management policies and procedures.There are some additional factors that might trigger a visit from the DCAA.

Let’s explore some specific audit prompts and what you can do to prevent an audit request for them and ensure you always remain prepared just in case.

Failure to follow the prescribed DCAA time tracking policy for employees
Inability to provide document backup or traceability
Budgetary allocations are not accounted for in the contract portfolio and otherwise not available in standard DCAA reports
Incompatible or inaccurate records, which might stem from the inclusion of unapproved or unallowable costs
Lack of adherence to internal controls laid out in the DCAA Contract Audit Manual (CAM)
The detection of operational weaknesses in your system
Any previous detections or findings from DCAA auditors you have not yet fully resolved
Inconsistencies in reporting, regarding data, available funds and documents

Work to maintain a good working relationship with your administrative contracting officer (ACO), contracting officer (CO) and any technical counterparts in the agency. Fostering these relationships can help you understand the DCAA and its mission and requirements better, while letting them know how important maintaining compliance is to you.

What Is the DCAA Audit Process?

There are a few different types of DCAA audits, so each process will vary. Let’s look at each one.

Pre-award audits

Before you even sign the contract, you might undergo an audit that goes over proposal pricing, forward pricing rates and might also include an audit of your accounting system.

Post-award audits

Once the federal government awards your business with a contract, you become subject to post-award audits, focusing on matters related to your contract and any of the triggering events mentioned above.

Contractor business system audits

These audits focus on your business’s internal controls and processes and often include an inspection of your most significant business systems, such as:

Accounting
Estimating
Billing
Purchasing
Employee timekeeping
Inventory and supply management systems

How long does each DCAA audit take?

Each of the different DCAA audits will take different lengths of time based on various factors. At the beginning of each audit, the auditor will conduct a risk assessment that provides the basic scope and anticipated timeline of the audit. Factors that affect the duration of the audit include:

Risk
Materiality
Willingness and cooperation of the contractor to support the audit

How to Request a DCAA Audit

The DCAA does not accept contractor requests for audits and only performs them based on a request or established need from a federal representative or entity.

Hour Timesheet Helps Prevent DCAA Auditing Triggers

Our team at Hour Timesheet understands how important your DoD contract is to your business. We want to help you identify all the triggers and ensure optimal continual compliance with employee time tracking policies and more. Ideally, we can help you avoid ever facing a DCAA audit or ease any worries if you do face one.

Contact u s to learn how we can help you stay on track of all your obligations to enjoy this contract and many others in the future.

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What Is the Difference Between DCMA and DCAA?

If your organization has been awarded a government contract, you need to understand two government contract agencies that require your compliance: DCAA (Defense Audit Contract Agency) vs. DCMA (Defense Contract Management Agency).

As of December 2021, the Department of Defense (DoD) reported working with approximately 20,000 contractors within the DOD’s area of responsibility.

With so many government contract organizations spread throughout the world, it’s crucial that the U.S. government develops and regularly updates regulations that keep the DoD and contract organizations aligned in their goals and according to government regulations.

What Is the the Defense Audit Contract Agency (DCAA)?

The Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) is a government agency connected to the DoD, working on behalf of various government agencies.

The DCAA functions to ensure consistent compliance with government regulations such as Defense Federal Acquisitions Supplement (DFARS), the Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) and the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).

What Does the DCAA Audit Cover, Entail and Establish?

The DCAA performs regular audits on government contracted organizations to ensure that each one follows the government’s recommendations and regulations to the letter. Every contractor that applies for and is awarded a government contract understands that it could be selected to undergo a Defense Audit Contract Agency audit at any time.

DCAA compliance means that, per the outcome of the audit, the government contractor follows the federally established guidelines and may proceed with the contract.

Who Needs to Maintain DCAA Compliance?

Every contractor awarded a government contract from the DOD and other government agencies must follow all the federally established laws and guidelines. It is impossible to know if or when a contractor might receive an audit, so it is imperative that contractors commit to continuous compliance.

How to Stay DCAA Compliant

Government contractors must focus on documenting and accounting for various expenditures related to their business, including:

Hiring

Employee time management and payroll

Equipment needs

Any other financial factors related to the organization’s ongoing operations

The Risks and Penalties of Non-Compliance

If a government contractor is found to be non-compliant in one or more areas during an audit, they risk not being able to apply for future government contracts offered by the DoD.

What Is DCMA?

The Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) focuses on a part of the DoD that works directly with government contractors to ensure the government is getting the most value and highest quality from each mutual engagement. Operating under the direction of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, the DCMA is a relatively new area and focal point.

The agency manages each contract issued by the DoD and oversees matters like the delivery of materials and disbursement of requested funds for government projects.

The DCMA is more proactive and cooperative, working in tandem with government contractors to ensure mutual success, rather than what is more of an accountability or watchdog function of the DCAA (Defense Contract Auditing Agency).

The Compliance Requirements for the DCMA

Government contractors must meet certain criteria and expectations to ensure DCMA compliance, including setting and adhering to a specific schedule agreed to in the proposal. They must also prove that they are compliant with agreed upon bookkeeping, time tracking and finances.

The DoD provides each government contractor with at least 32 specific guidelines to follow.

Similar to the DCAA non-compliance penalties, government contractors may lose the ability to apply for and secure future government contracts. Worse penalties involve the cancellation of the current contract.

The DCMA vs. DCAA: How Different Are They?

The DCMA and DCAA primarily differ in the way that each agency interacts with government contractors and the overarching requirements.

Our Time Tracking Software Can Keep You DCAA Compliant Without Worry

Our time tracking solutions at Hour Timesheet can help you achieve and maintain ongoing, pitch perfect DCAA compliance as a government contractor to keep your current contract and receive many more.

If you’re ready to tighten up your time tracking activities and keep the Defense Contract Auditing Agency happy, start your free trial today

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How To Keep Track Of Employee Hours

Time tracking remains the most effective way to measure your employees’ value to your business. It is also the most practical way to pay them for their commitment and service to your organization. That’s one reason why it is so important to find out how to keep track of employee hours.

Additional benefits of learning how to track employee time worked include Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) compliance, accurate payroll reporting, employee performance, time management, project progress, billing clients, and identifying potential issues and problems. Now that we have some thoughts in mind about why employee time tracking is so important, let’s dive deeper into this topic.

Tracking Employee Work Hours

Considering all the benefits of tracking employee time, you are probably wondering about the best way to do it. These days, you have plenty of options, ranging from manual pen and paper techniques and desktop timeclocks to comprehensive automated time tracking software programs that do it all.

Like most businesses, you probably don’t have time to take the traditional route and would rather find a user-friendly, high-functioning and customizable software tracking tool. You might find yourself lost in a sea of time tracking technology, requiring guidance regarding what you need along with best practices and standards.

What to Look for in Time Tracking Software

You might not know how to start your search with so many software options available. Here are four things to look for in time tracking software.

Payroll Integration

Payroll integration allows your payroll system to sync with other software programs. With integrated payroll capabilities, you can quickly and easily access vital information, including historical time and attendance records, all signed documentation from all employees, information about employees’ benefits and tax details, and workers’ compensation files.

Track Employee Hours and Job Costs

Job costing is a method included in different time tracking software that allows you to track all costs and revenue attached to each project. You can track everything from human resource investments to material costs and more.

Leave Tracking

Leave tracking is a crucial feature included with time tracking software, ensuring that your HR team and employees always know the status of vacation, PTO and sick time. Anyone who has managed leave time manually knows that requests for leave slips can fall through the cracks. Leave tracking also lets employees check their available time to avoid any missteps or confusion before making vacation plans. Finally, time tracking software’s inclusion of leave tracking lets everyone in the office know when an employee is out of the office.

Location Tracking

Employees who work remotely or who are frequently away from their desks can let other workspace members know where they are with location tracking capabilities enabling them to not only track employee work hours from Hour Timesheet’s simple and free mobile app.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is your software DCAA compliant?

Yes! Hour Timesheet provides detailed audit documentation, manager approvals and daily employee reminders to enter time tracking information, including authorized charge codes.

Will my team still need to do any manual data entry?

You won’t need to do much manual data entry, if any. We have automated and streamlined nearly every facet of employee time tracking.

Our Solutions Will Streamline Your Time Tracking Processes

At Hour Timesheet, our time tracking software will be a game-changer for your payroll department and employees. We offer an integrated system that ties everything together to keep valuable employee information at your fingertips. You won’t need to wonder about how to track workforce hours again.

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Facts about Employee Time Tracking

6 Facts about Employee Time Tracking

Despite the mixed feelings on time tracking, having the right time management software can be beneficial to both workers and business. Below are several time management statistics and six Facts about Employee Time Tracking to help shed some light on the process and its potential value for organizations of all shapes and sizes.

Time Management Defined

First, what does time management refer to? Essentially, it is the use of a system to log and monitor a person’s activities. Many organizations utilize these systems to track employee hours and how they are using their time on the clock. However, it can also refer to tracking personal time through a private app as well as organization-wide project time tracking, which can be much more complex.

1. Time Tracking May Improve Time Management Skills

First on the list of Facts about Employee Time Tracking is that using even a simple software to track time can help hone a person’s time management capabilities. Such self-development gives an advantage to both individuals and companies. For instance, one in eight surveyed people reported they never feel under control at work. However, when armed with effective time management, it’s possible to gain control over the demands of the day through organization and improved productivity.

2. Employee timekeeping Identifies Areas of Improvement

Did you know the average employee is only productive for two hours and 23 minutes each day? That means a lot of time is being spent on non-work-related tasks such as browsing social media and making personal calls. Although it may appear to take up time to log the employee’s activities, it works to reveal timeframes or tasks where work is not being executed appropriately.

3. Workers in the U.S. Spend 2.5+ Hours on Emails Daily

Drafting and replying to emails is an essential part of many jobs. That being said, a lot of time is devoted to the task and at times, unjustifiably so. The right time management software could expose such waste and steps can then be taken to reduce squandered time.

4. Employee Timekeeping Errors Lead to 50 Million Lost Hours in the U.S.

5. Time of Day Impacts Productivity Levels

According to a 2021 report, productivity rates drop down significantly, all the way to 45%, between the hours of noon and 3 p.m. Freelancers also see a dip, with activity rates falling to 43% between 3-6 p.m.

6. Time Theft Is a Challenge for 75% of Businesses

Time theft can be a serious problem for any size of business. One study even found it causes U.S. employers to lose $11 billion annually. Fortunately, time tracking has been shown to reduce lapses in productivity up to 80% by combating the various form of time theft, such as buddy punching, finishing early and using work time to engage in personal activities.

Don’t Let Valuable Time Slip Away

These industry Facts about Employee Time Tracking and statistics only scratch the surface of the potential benefits time management has in store. If you want to see just how effective time management could be for your business, consider upgrading to Hour Timesheet’s innovative time tracking software. Our easy-to-use platform eliminates hours of tedious manual data entry and streamlines your business’s ability to track employee and contractor hours in real time.

Reach out to us today to learn more!

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