Gain the knowledge and skills necessary to develop a forward-pricing proposal to address how to evaluate a contractor's estimate of costs to perform a government contract. Use two case studies to learn how to audit the various elements of the proposal: direct labor, direct material, and indirect costs. Also, learn how to incorporate quantitative audit techniques -- statistical sampling, correlation analysis, and improvement curve -- in performing the audit. Develop a historical cost audit to determine whether the contractor is entitled to be reimbursed for costs claimed on contracts. Learn how to use the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and the Cost Accounting Standards to determine the allowability, allocability, and reasonableness of costs. Learn how to calculate indirect allocation rates and how they are applied to contracts. Applicable sections of the FAR are included as part of your materials for this course.
Students should be familiar with contract auditing principles, including understanding FAR and CAS compliance, as well as basic cost allocation techniques such as direct versus indirect costs and overhead rates. Experience with quantitative techniques, including regression analysis and sampling methods, is also recommended.
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