A comprehensive course in Government contract requirements with key instruction by specialists in accounting and law.
Now required for both Defense and Civilian agencies. Includes coverage of new developments and any prospective implications of the Pension Protection Act of 2006.
They were born out of frustration — out of the Government’s smoldering irritation in dealing with contractors’ differing accounting practices and high-dollar claims for price increases. Yet, like them or not, they are here to stay. Indeed, they may aptly be compared to the so-called “truth in negotiation” requirements that, whatever may be their weaknesses, will probably always be part of the procurement picture.
It all began in 1970 with the passage by Congress of the statute that created the Cost Accounting Standards Board, and charged that Board with the duty of prescribing Standards for realization of “uniformity” and “consistency” in contractors’ cost accounting practices. The resulting Standards have, predictably, had a major impact on the procurement process — an impact whose shock waves are still being felt.
So we all must accommodate to Cost Accounting Standards; we all, in plain words, must learn to live with them. It is for that reason that this special program has been developed.
Scope and Technique
Because the Cost Accounting Standards are complex — often hard to read, let alone understand — careful attention has been paid to the substantive content and instructional technique of this course. It starts with a finely crafted exposition of the system as a whole; followed by consideration of the methods by which the Standards are administered and enforced; turning to an analysis of disclosure statements and of the Standards’ relationship to recognized cost accounting practices; and, finally, swinging into detailed study of the critical substantive Standards.
To assure understanding, maximum provision has been made for questioning by the audience. Toward that end, instructors will (a) deliver information-packed lectures and (b) answer your questions concentrating on particular aspects of their subjects that are of interest to you. Our purpose: to make certain that you learn the Standards’ requirements and know what must be done to comply with them.
The Course Curriculum & Faculty
Day One
9:00 The CAS System: Administration and Enforcement Gregory A. Smith, Partner, Cooley Godward Kronish LLP
The CAS System: A concentrated explanatory briefing on the scope, scheme, operating mechanisms, and general impact of the Cost Accounting Standards system. Applicability of Cost Accounting Standards and Disclosure Statement requirements to: (a) defense prime contracts and subcontracts, (b) non-defense prime contracts and subcontracts, (c) corporate divisions, (d) corporate subsidiaries. Relationship of Cost Accounting Standards to the allowability of costs. The contract clauses that implement the Standards — an analysis of their provisions, functions, and application.
Administration & Enforcement: Duties and rights of Government contractors and their subcontractors. Responsibility of the procuring agencies for administration and enforcement of the Standards. The critical cost impact of changes (required by the Standards in cost accounting prices). Adjustments in contract prices — upward and downward — resulting from the Standards. Procedures for negotiating price adjustments including coordinated negotiation. Current CAS problem areas.
1:00 Disclosure Statements; Cost Accounting Practices J. Roger Holbrook, Government Contract Services, Ernst & Young, LLP
Chris Pockney, Partner, Ernst & Young LLP
Disclosure Statements: Their purpose, content, submission, review — a study of what’s required and what’s not.
Cost Accounting Practices: A survey of acceptable accounting systems, reasonable cost accounting practices, and the Accounting Standards relating to these areas.
- Standard 401 — Consistency in Estimating, Accumulating, and Reporting Costs
- Standard 402 — Consistency in Allocating Costs Incurred for the Same Purpose
- Standard 405 — Accounting for Unallowable Costs
- Standard 406 — Cost Accounting Period
Day Two
9:00 Compensation of Personnel Terry L. Albertson, Partner, Crowell & Moring, LLP
- Standard 408 — Compensated Personal Absence
- Standard 412 — Compensation and
- Measurement of Pension Costs
- Standard 413 — Adjustment and Allocation of
Pension Costs - Standard 415 — Accounting for the Cost of
Deferred Compensation
1:00 Tangible Assets and Capital Louis I. Rosen, Government Contract Services, Ernst & Young, LLP
- Standard 404 — Capitalization of Tangible Assets
- Standard 407 — Use of Standard Costs for Direct Material and Direct Labor
- Standard 409 — Depreciation of Tangible Capital Assets
- Standard 411 — Accounting for Acquisition Costs of Material
- Standard 414 — Cost of Money as an Element of the Cost of Facilities Capital
- Standard 416 — Accounting for Insurance Costs
- Standard 417 — Cost of Money as an Element of Cost of Facilities Under Construction
Day Three
9:00 Home Office, G&A Expense, Overhead, and IR&D Kevin C. Dwyer, Partner, Jenner & Block
- Standard 403 — Allocation of Home Office Expense
to Segments - Standard 410 — Allocation of G&A Expense
- Standard 418 — Allocation of Direct and Indirect Costs
- Standard 420 — Accounting for IR&D and B&P Costs
12:00 Noon Adjournment
Analyses of Specific Standards
The critical current Cost Accounting Standards have been grouped into four substance-related categories that will be covered in the following sessions. For each category, the assigned Faculty member will: (a) explain the requirements of the Standards; (b) analyze their features — the good, the bad, the unusual; (c) point out any gaps or loopholes in their coverage; (d) indicate any inconsistencies that exist between the Standards and (i) generally accepted accounting principles, (ii) the cost principles applicable to Government contracts, and (iii) accounting for tax purposes; and (e) cover the mechanics and problems of transition from previously acceptable procedures to the Standards.