Legal, Contractual, and Financial Information

Related to Government Contracting

Links to acquisition/procurement regulations for defense and civilian agencies (FARS, DFARS, etc.)

Bid Protests at GAO: A Descriptive Guide

The laws and regulations governing federal contracting are designed to ensure that government procurements are conducted fairly and in a way that maximizes competition. Consult this online guide if you have reason to believe that a contract has been or is about to be awarded improperly or illegally, or if you believe you have been unfairly denied a contract or an opportunity to compete for a contract.

Keep up-to-date with recent bid protest decisions handed down by the GAO.

Having trouble understanding some of those federal financial and budgeting terms? This site will tell you what they mean.

This is a page from the website of the Project on Government Oversight (POGO). POGO reports on waste, fraud and corruption in government contracting and other areas. There are some interesting reports and references here, as well as definitions of terms such as negotiation, auditing, competition, earmarks, and more.

Cost Accounting Standards for Government Contractors as proscribed by the Federal Acquisition Regulations.

These are wage determinations issued by the Department of Labor, which determines prevailing wage rates to be paid on federally funded or assisted construction projects.

DCAA is responsible for performing all contract audits for the Department of Defense, and providing accounting and financial advisory services regarding contracts and subcontracts to all DoD Components responsible for procurement and contract administration.

This is an online pamphlet to assist contractors in understanding applicable financial and budgeting requirements for government contracts. It covers requirements for pre-award surveys, accounting systems, cost and price proposals, contract financing and billing methods, direct and indirect costs, contract types, and other information. You'll also find some models and examples.

FAR definitions pertaining to allowable costs, and a reference table that will help you find information on costs that are allowable, unallowable, or allowable with restrictions.

All of government contracting has its basis in the FAR. It's lengthy, it's boring, it's full of governmentese. You can't learn all of it, but you'd better know some of it, or at least you need to know how and where to look up those clauses that are contained in your RFP or contract.

A listing of government contracts documents, briefs, articles and books from the FindLaw website.

Federal and State FOIA resources, sample FOIA letters, white papers and reports, FOIA listserv, and more.

A compendium of articles on legal issues related to bonds, bundling/multiple awards, construction contracting, ethics and procurement integrity, performance issues/claims, and protests.

Compiled by the George Washington University Law School, this site has links to many legal blogs that focus on government contracting, acquisition, procurement, and related information.

From the American Bar Association. In addition to membership information, you can look under the "Publications" section for links to the Public Contract Law Journal and The Procurement Lawyer.

Do you need a form for your proposal? The GSA Forms Library has all of the GSA Forms, Standard (SF) Forms, Optional (OF) Forms, and Other Forms. You can search for specific forms and sort them by number, title, or type. There's also software that you can download for filling in the forms.

Indirect costs are costs incurred for the general operation of a business. Although this Guide is written for DOD acquisition personnel, government contractors will also find it useful. Note that you will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the document.

This article answers the following questions: What are Indirect Costs? What is an indirect cost rate? How are indirect cost rates determined?

The NCMA fosters the professional growth and educational advancement of its members and others in the contract management/procurement field.

ORCA is an e-Government initiative that has been developed to replace most of the paper based Representations and Certifications (Reps and Certs) process, known as Section K, by creating an Internet application that allows user access 24/7. Using ORCA, a contractor can enter their Reps and Certs information once for use on all Federal contracts

Seminars on a wide variety of topics related to purchasing and procurement. The title of each seminar is given along with dates, locations, and descriptions.

A legal site that discusses contract types and methods of contracting, contracting rules and regulations, bid protests, and other aspects of government contracting.

The McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA) applies to every contract entered into by the United States or the District of Columbia, the principal purpose of which is to furnish services to the US through the use of service employees. The SCA requires contractors and subcontractors performing services on covered federal or District of Columbia contracts in excess of $2,500 to pay service employees in various classes no less than the monetary wage rates and to furnish fringe benefits found prevailing in the locality, or the rates (including prospective increases) contained in a predecessor contractor's collective bargaining agreement. Safety and health standards also apply to such contracts.

Contractors and subcontractors performing work on Federal contracts must observe minimum wage and safety and health standards, and must maintain certain records, unless a specific exemption applies.

Need to develop a subcontracting plan for your proposal? Here's a model plan that you can adapt.

A sample teaming agreement prepared by a law firm.

A SCORE Counselor provides a listing of unallowable cost categories.

An article from a law firm that specializes in government contracting.

This comprehensive glossary also includes terms related to procurement and finance.

This excellent website contains a wealth of information on government contracting news, laws, legislation, bid protests, auditing, small business issues, and much more. There's also an active forum and blog posts.