Back in 2012, the authority for determining a contractor’s eligibility for direct billing – submitting vouchers without having them first approved by a contract auditor – was taken away from DCAA (Defense Contract Audit Agency) and correspondingly, all defense contractors were automatically eligible to bill their costs without DCAA pre-approval. This greatly streamlined the billing process, allowed contractors to be paid more quickly, thus ensuring improved cash flows.

Source: PNWC’s Government Contracting Update: Auditor Testing of Paid Vouchers

The VA (Department of Veterans Affairs) issued a solicitation to purchase healthcare furniture and associated services for medical centers, community-based outpatient clinics, vet centers, and other qualifying clinics and offices throughout the United States. Selection was to be made on a best-value basis considering technical capability, past performance, small business participation and price. Under the technical capability factor, vendors were instructed to submit, among other things, a certifying statement indicating that they can meet all service requirements as defined in the statement of work.

Source: PNWC’s Government Contracting Update: Failure to Comply with Solicitation Requirements Leads to Lost Opportunity