Posts Tagged ‘compliance’

DCAA Updates the Contract Audit Manual — Changed Sections Require Continued Compliance

Wednesday, September 8th, 2010

DCAA has updated sections of the Contract Audit Manual (CAM) through September 1, 2010.  The CAM provides technical assistance and procedures that are followed by the DCAA, for audits of government contractors. The CAM is available to assist contractors with requirements and procedures that should be implemented to meet DCAA audit standards.  The following areas of the CAM have changed: (more…)

GSA Schedule Holders, Prepare for Goldstar Mandatory Modification!

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

As part of Phase II of its Goldstar Initiative, GSA will be issuing mandatory modifications to ALL Schedule Contracts on June 24th to baseline its contractors’ current terms and conditions, along with negotiated exceptions. This process will be much more onerous then a standard mandatory modification. It is extremely important to read the instructions and complete the modification carefully. (more…)

Independent Contractor or Employees? Encore free Webinar 6/17/10; Construction Industry Article!

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

On June 17th, Aronson will offer our popular free seminar “Independent Contractor or Employee: Classification is the Elephant in the Room!“  focused on the issue of worker classification.  This is one of those tricky compliance issues that everybody knows about, but nobody wants to talk about. With more and more states passing legislation to penalize employers who misclassify workers, audits are a valid concern for all businesses. Don’t be intimidated by this important topic – instead, be informed! Join Aronson & Company and FosterThomas for this insightful event on June 17th at FosterThomas’ Corporate Office that addresses how your company can prepare for audits and reduce liability.

Interested in the specific impact on the construction industry?  See recently republished article,  “New Employee vs. Independent Contractor Considerations – What You Need to Know Today and for the Future“  by Tim Cummins, Officer of Aronson and Company’s Construction Industry Services. This article was republished in the March 2010 edition of the Washington Building Congress (WBC) Bulletin available for download via the following link: https://www.wbcnet.org/Bulletin/Bulletin-March-2010-FNL.pdf.

Don’t forget, on June 17th, Aronson & Company’s tax experts will help you gain an understanding of the issue, the costs to your business of noncompliance, and steps you can take toward compliance. Seats are limited, so register today!

IRS’ 401(k) Plan Questionnaire Coming to 1,200 Employers – RESPONSE REQUIRED!

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

On May 17, 2010, the IRS Employee Plans Compliance Unit “EPCU” sent out a letter with instructions to 1,200 employers with 401(k) plans (plan sponsors) requiring them to complete the 401(k) Compliance Check Questionnaire.  The plans were randomly selected from  401(k) plans that filed a Form 5500 (Annual Return/Report of Employee Benefit Plan) for the 2007 plan year.  The questionnaire is accessed through a secure website and requests a wide range of information related to the Sponsor’s 401(k) plan. The questionnaire is very comprehensive as evidenced by the fact that it is 46 pages in length (see sample questionnaire, IRS Form 14146).

Completion of the questionnaire is required, and failure to respond, or to provide complete information will result in “further action or examination, which may include an examination of your plan” as indicated by both the IRS announcement of this initiative and the irs.gov’s FAQ.  Furthermore, many questions are either compliance in nature or tie directly back to the Plan’s Form 5500 filings.  A respondent could mistakenly indicate a myriad of compliance violations or a disconnect with a previously filed Form 5500. We advise completing this questionnaire with an advisor that is familiar with your plan and the strict rules governing qualified retirement plans.  For additional information or assistance please contact Mark Flanagan of Aronson & Company’s Benefit Plan Services Group via email or at 301-231-6257.

Live from Deltek Insight 2010 – Find Your Prescription for Success! Part II

Friday, May 21st, 2010

The 2010 Deltek Insight conference was another huge success for all participants.  Deltek’s President and CEO Kevin Parker stopped by the Aronson booth to check out our live Insight blogging and to monitor the “pulse” on Deltek customers’ needs and satisfaction.  The  exchange of ideas, input from users, and new product development  really kept  up  momentum through the end of the conference.

Aronson’s accounting and technology experts Jan Zall, Linda Riesenman, and Nicole Mitchell conducted popular breakout sessions attracting over 300Deltek users  The topics presented included; “Multiple Companies and CostPoint” by Jan Zall , “Surviving DCAA Audits with GCS Premier” by Nicole Mitchell, and “Strategies for Merging Multiple CostPoint Databases” by Linda Riesenman.   The attendees had positive feedback on the sessions and asked informative questions related to the topics.  Feedback focused mainly on the use of technology to increase efficiency and for obtaining accurate timely data to address the compliance requirements heightened by the current administration emphasis on transparency.

Aronson proved to be the “Cure” for government contractors needs.  Aronson again demonstrated our expertise in the areas of systems, compliance, contract administration, GSA Schedule support, assurance, tax, and M&A; truly full service advisors to Federal contractors.

We hope to see you all next year and to meet even more new faces in Nashville, TN, for Insight 2011.  If you missed the conference and would like your own Aronson “diagnosis and prescription” contact Tom Williams at (301) 222-8289 or twilliams@aronsoncompany.com.

Live from Deltek Insight 2010 – Find Your Prescription for Success!

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

The atmosphere at the Deltek Insight 2010 annual users conference is vibrant and energetic – despite the gloomy DC weather outside.  As a proud repeat Platinum sponsor, Aronson & Company is active on the Insight Expo floor, rolling out our marketing campaign to provide innovative cures for government contractor ailments.  Aronson diagnosed over 100 companies in the first night, writing many prescriptions for written policies and procedures and remedies for accounting departments overburdened with compliance issues.

Deltek Insight 2010 is being held this year at the Gaylord National in Washington, DC, May 17 -20, 2010.   Deltek is known as the preeminent provider of project management solutions for government contractors, Architectural/Engineering (A/E),  and other professional service industries.   This year’s conference has attracted more than 3,000 attendees, selecting from 353 breakout sessions covering a wide variety of topics.

Deltek debuted many new products at the show.  Phil Parry, a Deltek Advisory Business Analyst, demonstrated Mobile Time, a much anticipated Blackberry time entry product, allowing users to enter timesheets from here at the conference (read about course XT-105).  (more…)

GSA Expo 2010, Day 2 – Body Armor, Bedding, and Bosu Balls!

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

Aronson is back reporting to you from the 2010 GSA Training Conference and Expo. I must admit that after surviving 60″+ of snow this winter, I was not prepared for the weather in Orlando with temperatures in the 90s and unbelievable humidity. Exhibitors offering air conditioners may have an unfair advantage this year. The Expo floor opened this morning with 700+ GSA Schedule Contract holders exhibiting everything from body armor to bedding to bosu balls. There is often so much emphasis on the larger GSA Schedules like IT, MOBIS, and FABS, that you can forget the amazing diversity of products and services included in the Schedules program that can equal business opportunities for all types of companies.

Since Expo is also GSA’s largest single training event, there are hundreds of courses offered targeting audiences including contract holders, federal acquisition professionals, state and local governments, and many more. (more…)

Encore Seminar on 5/13! Independent Contractor or Employee: Classification is the Elephant in the Room!

Friday, April 16th, 2010

Worker classification is one of those tricky compliance issues that everybody knows about, but nobody wants to talk about. With more and more states passing legislation to penalize employers who misclassify workers, audits are a valid concern for all businesses. Don’t be intimidated by this important topic – instead, be informed! Join Aronson & Company and Helios HR for this encore event on May 13th at the Tower Club that addresses how your company can prepare for audits and reduce liability.

Additional information and FREE registration is available via the following link:

Starts:	Thursday May 13, 2010, 08:00AM
Ends:	Thursday May 13, 2010, 10:30AM
Event Type:	Training/Seminar
Location:	The Tower Club 8000 Towers Crescent Dr #1700 Vienna, VA 22182 US
Price:	Complimentary
Website:	http://www.aronsoncompany.com/events/events-calendar/icalrepeat.detail/2010/05/13/41/33|32|28|30|27/OTFjZTI1ZmRmMjRkMjAzM2U1OGE0OTQyNDk3YTVlMzk=.html
Industry:	accounting
Keywords:	Independent contractor misclassification; Worker misclassification; IRS
Intended For:	HR Managers, CEOS, CFOS
Organization:	Aronson & Company and Helios HR

Did you know that:

• The IRS has begun randomly selecting 2,000 taxpayers each year for the next three years for a comprehensive employment tax law compliance audit?
• Independent contractor misclassification is now more likely than ever before to result in heavy fines and penalties?
• Worker misclassification invites trouble with the IRS, Department of Labor, and state and local governments?
• All companies are vulnerable, but construction and government contracting businesses are being targeted in particular?

(more…)

Stimulus Reports: Submit Them or Else!

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

The Administration raised the stakes for contractors or grantees that receive stimulus funding but fail to file the required reports.  The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act requires quarterly reporting but did not include consequences for those recipients who fail to submit reports.  During the last calendar quarter of 2009, more than 1,000 recipients failed to file reports, most of them grantees as opposed to contractors.

On April 6, 2010 President Obama directed Executive Agencies to use every means available to ensure that every recipient of stimulus funds has filed the required reports.  The agencies must intensify their efforts to ensure compliance by terminating awards, pursuing suspension and debarment, reclaiming funds, and initiating other punitive actions whenever authorized and appropriate.  Agencies are also required to report the names of non-compliant recipients to the Office and Management and Budget (OMB)along with the actions the agency is taking to obtain the reports.  OMB also has 30 days to provide agencies with additional guidance on how to handle non-reporting recipients.

It was presumably good news when your organization received some of the stimulus money.  Do not turn good news into bad news by failing to file the required reports.

Government Creates “Bad Contractor” Database

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

The FAR council issued a final rule on March 23rd that established the Federal Awardee Performance & Integrity Information System, (FAPIIS).  FAPIIS is being implemented in response to a requirement contained in the 2009 Defense Authorization Act. 

FAPIIS is designed to be a comprehensive database containing information on contractor responsibility, performance, and integrity.  The database will include information from the Excluded Parties List, the Past Performance Information Retrieval System, nonresponsiblity determinations, terminations for default, defective pricing determinations, criminal convictions, and civil liabilities.  FAPIIS will obtain this information from existing databases, contracting officers, and suspension and debarment officials.  Also, any contractor submitting a proposal  that exceeds $500,000 and having more than $10 million in active contracts and grants as of the time of proposal submission, must report in FAPIIS information pertaining to criminal, civil and administrative
proceedings through which a requisite determination of fault was made.

Companies will be notified when information is added to their FAPIIS record and will have the right to post comments which will be included in the record.  Contracting Officers must, (1) review the FAPIIS database prior to awarding contracts in excess of  the simplified acquisition threshold, (2) document how the information in FAPISS was used, and (3) notify the suspension and debarment officials if the FAPIIS information seems to warrant such drastic action. 

In response to industry concerns, FAPIIS will not be open to the public.  In the future, the Government plans to add contracts with state governments, reduce the threshold for FAPIIS reporting, and include information on crimes that aren’t directly related to government contracting.