Choose software with your accountant around your contract mix. A product name is not evidence that your configured system and practices meet every requirement.
Start with contract type and requirements
FAR 16.301-3 requires an accounting system adequate to determine costs applicable to the contract or order for cost-reimbursement contracting. Where applicable, DFARS 252.242-7006 specifies accounting-system criteria. Use the actual contract and clause set to establish your requirements.
Do not begin by asking whether a software brand is “DCAA compliant.” Ask which obligations apply to your business, what records are needed, and how those records will be created, reviewed, and reconciled.
Map the complete system
QuickBooks Online describes bookkeeping, invoicing, and financial reporting. PROCAS describes government-contractor accounting, timekeeping, and expense reporting; Unanet ERP describes connected GovCon project and financial operations. These vendor descriptions are a starting point for evaluation, not an audit conclusion.
The system includes people, policies, configurations, integrations, and review activities as well as software. Ask a qualified GovCon accountant to map direct and indirect costs, cost objectives, timekeeping, unallowable costs, and billing to the applicable obligations.
Reconcile a sample month
DFARS 252.242-7006 includes direct-cost identification, indirect-cost allocation, general-ledger control, timekeeping and labor distribution, exclusion of unallowable costs, and billing reconciliation among its criteria. Test the requirements that apply using a realistic sample rather than a generic dashboard.
Follow one labor entry from time capture to project cost and billing. Correct an error and inspect the evidence left behind. Then reconcile a sample expense, indirect allocation, and invoice. Document any spreadsheet or manual adjustment needed to bridge the process.
Budget for operating discipline
Compare implementation, data migration, integrations, training, accountant support, monthly close effort, and subscription costs. Ask what happens when a project is misclassified or a period is corrected. A cheap license can still create an expensive operating process.
This guide does not certify a configuration or prescribe accounting treatment. Use the pilot results with your adviser to decide whether your current setup is sufficient, needs supporting controls, or should be replaced.
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Method & disclosure. This is AI-assisted desk research using linked primary sources, not a hands-on product test. Recommendations are evaluation advice. Vendor links are direct, non-affiliate links in this edition. Verify current plan terms and applicable contract requirements before acting. Read our standards.