Each Agency and Contracting Officer is unique. However, there are common issues that continuously pop up and may delay responses/actions from Contracting Officers. In this podcast, Eric Poppe, Managing Director and Javier Diaz, Manager in Cherry Bekaert’s Government Contractor Services Group discuss some of these issues.
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ERIC POPPE: Welcome to Cherry Bekaert's GovCom Podcast, where we discuss current government contracting trends, compliance matters, and best practices to guide federal contractors forward. I'm Eric Poppe, a Senior Manager with Cherry Bekaert in the Government Contract Services Group, and with me is Javier Diaz, a former DCAA Audit Manager and member of our Government Contract Services Group.
ERIC POPPE: Today, Javi, we want to discuss a topic that resonates with every contractor. Many of our clients and companies we talk to complain about responsiveness from the government, slow DCAA audits, difficulty getting a modification pushed through, and slow responses from contracting officers.
ERIC POPPE: From the contractor side, there are also pet peeves and pitfalls that can slow those processes. We asked you to reach out to contracting officers and contract specialists you know to learn what gets on their nerves when working with contractors. First, thank you for joining us today.
JAVIER DIAZ: Thank you for having me. When I reached out to contracting officers and contract specialists across multiple agencies, I expected major issues to surface. Instead, most complaints were about relatively minor items.
JAVIER DIAZ: A lot of it centered on invoicing and proposals, which makes sense because those are where contracting officers interact most with contractors. For invoicing, the most common issue is contractors not following invoice instructions in the contract.
ERIC POPPE: Contractors often complain they are not getting paid quickly enough and that there is a slow response after submitting invoices.
JAVIER DIAZ: Frequently, the contract specifies who should receive invoices and what information must be included, but contractors sometimes fail to follow those instructions. Some contractors assume the process is the same for all their contracts, but individual awards can differ. When an invoice is submitted incorrectly, the government must request corrections, which slows the process and frustrates contract specialists, COTRs, and billing personnel.
JAVIER DIAZ: Proposals were another frequent source of complaints, both for RFP responses and for modifications. For RFPs, many companies try to showcase all their capabilities, but they sometimes fail to provide the minimum required information. Contracting officers want to work with those contractors, but if the minimum requirements are missing, their hands are tied.
JAVIER DIAZ: Ensure your numbers reconcile throughout the proposal. If you perform calculations, make sure totals on one spreadsheet match totals in other sections. Even minor discrepancies can cause issues; I heard of a case where amounts were off by a couple thousand dollars. While immaterial to the total contract value, the government requires internal consistency to review the proposal.
JAVIER DIAZ: Another common issue is excessive precision in dollar amounts. Most reviewers prefer whole dollars on proposals. If you include cents, avoid using many decimal places—do not present figures to five decimal places.
ERIC POPPE: Based on your discussions with contracting specialists and officers, what overarching guidance would you give listeners?
JAVIER DIAZ: The devil is in the details. Small issues irritate contracting officers and specialists. Make sure everything reconciles, keep information concise and easy to follow, and ensure invoices and proposals meet the contract requirements. And no matter what, have agreements and communications in writing.
ERIC POPPE: Have it in writing. Javier, thanks for joining us today on Cherry Bekaert's GovCom Podcast.
