Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Consulting

The Federal Acquisition Regulation is the set of rules and procedures that all firms doing business with the federal government must adhere to.  The FAR is a 53 chapter book that can be quite daunting where different sections have more relevance than others depending on the type of contracts that are received.  For example, if a contract price is based upon a cost build up estimate and is negotiated, FAR Part 15 provides details on what elements must be adhered to.  Or, for example, the requirement to exclude “unallowable” costs in a contract price or billing is covered in the “FAR Cost Principles”  found in FAR Part 31.  FAR Part 52 includes many contract clauses that are included in contracts where only a handful may be critical to any particular contract and some are required to be passed down to subcontractors.

Failure to adhere to essential FAR provisions can result in not winning awards, giving up profits, being barred from future work or undergoing expensive investigations.  However, knowledge about what FAR provisions are important and what needs to be done to comply provides wonderful opportunities to expand your business with little effort.  Though potentially daunting, the complexity of the Federal Acquisition Regulation should not prevent you from seeking business with the federal government.  FAR compliance can be understood and managed.  Learning to live with the Federal Acquisition Regulation can become quite prosperous.

Our staff are experts in the FAR provisions.  Collectively, they have authored over 300 published articles on a wide variety of FAR issues and taught many seminars to industry and government personnel.  Their roles as government auditors, contracting officers and government attorneys have required them to master the FAR and apply it from the government’s perspective.  Their post government work as CFO, contract managers, government compliance specialists, attorneys and now consultants provide practical experience helping clients manage FAR requirements.  Our staff’s participation in writing the GCA REPORT and GCA DIGEST means they are intimately familiar with all current changes, government guidance and case decisions that have practical significance.

Our FAR related consulting services include:

• Assessments of compliance with relevant FAR provisions and clauses
• Training e.g. FAR Cost Principles, Pricing and Costing requirements
• Preparation of FAR required submittals such as forward pricing proposals, incurred cost submittals, termination settlement proposals, contract closeouts, etc.
• Providing contract administration on an as-needed basis
• Advice as FAR issues arise in real time telephone and email communications as the need arises
• Selecting subcontractors and proper subcontract administration