Wednesday December 4, 2019
Jackson Center, 6001 Moquin Drive, Huntsville, AL 35806
Date:
December 4, 2019
Overview:
7am – 8am Registration
8am – 5:00pm Speakers/Sessions
8 CPE credits
Registration Deadline:
Early Bird (until Oct 27): $249
Advanced (Oct 28 to Nov 17): $299
Last Chance (Nov 18 to Nov 29): $349
Conference Venue
Jackson Center
6001 Moquin Drive,
Huntsville, AL 35806
View Map
Conference Hotels
The Westin Huntsville
Home2 Suites by Hilton Huntsville
Hampton Inn & Suites Huntsville
Highlights
The government contracting industry is ever-changing and evolving. The Redstone Edge Conference was developed with that in mind. Each year, we bring you topics, trends, and current issues experienced in this industry as well as the latest from oversight agencies such as DCAA, DCMA, and the IG. Our goal is to provide you with the tools and knowledge to succeed in this highly regulated and complicated industry.
The Redstone Edge Conference will cover topics including:
- Current Issues with T&M Labor Category Mapping
- DCAA Update
- Contract Closeouts
- Purchasing Systems
- Forward Pricing
- Audits of Major & Non-Major Contractors
- OFCCP & EEOC
- HR for Government Contractors
- Business Ethics & Mandatory Disclosures – per DCAA, DCMA & IG perspective
Our one-day conference consists of morning panel discussions on topics of interest to all government contractors as well as afternoon breakout sessions for personnel specializing in areas such as HR, Contracts, Purchasing, and Compliance/Accounting.
Agenda
| 7:00 – 8:00 Breakfast & Registration |
| 8:00 – 9:30 Session 1: Demystifying Contractor’s Code of Business Ethics and Conduct Requirements: COBEC (FAR 52.203-13) Panelist – Ken Heinzman, Justice Liaison Auditor, DCAA Krista Larson, Divisional Administrative Contracting Officer, DCMA Anthony Black, DoD Hotline Supervisory Investigator – Contractor Disclosure Program Manager, DoD Office of the Inspector General Karin Yorke, Attorney, DCMA Contract Integrity Center (CIC) Moderator – Jerry Gabig, Attorney, Federal Government Contracts, Wilmer & Lee Learn More FAR 52.203-13 entered the Federal Acquisition Regulation rather uneventfully in 2015 and since that time has been a source of confusion and consternation on the part of both government contractors and those tasked with evaluating the disclosures made under the clause. In this session, we hope to clear the air around this area by bringing together a panel of experts from both sides. Joining us on this panel will be senior representation from the Department of Defense Inspector General, the Defense Contract Audit Agency and the Defense Contract Management Agency. The Panel will be moderated by Jerome Gabig, a noted attorney and industry expert in this area. The discussion will center on the mandatory disclosure requirement and the process for evaluation by the Company and the Government and discuss frequent points of confusion on both sides of the evaluation. |
| 9:30 – 10:00 Morning Break |
| 10:00 – 11:30 Session 2: Audit Rapid Fire Panelist – The panel will be made up of Redstone GCI Consultants Moderator – Courtney Edmonson, CEO, Redstone GCI Learn More As a government contractor, you are aware that contracts come with audits. However, it has been our experience that contractors don’t always understand which audits apply to them, specifically. Not to mention that audits can be done by multiple agencies, including DCAA, DCMA, DoL, Independent CPA firms, and other government agencies. Combine this with the fact that DCAA hasn’t been auditing in the past several years due to efforts towards eliminating the Incurred Cost Proposal backlog, it may come as a surprise when a contractor gets notification of an audit.This panel is designed to eliminate the confusion associated with the various types of audits in which contractors are subject. During this panel discussion, we will address “audits” which may be encountered as a by-product of i) submitting a bid/proposal in response to a Government solicitation or ii) receiving a Government contract award. The term “audits” is in the broadest context of any evaluation for contract compliance which can be traced to one or more contract clause/regulation. In some cases, contract compliance audits coincidentally parallel audits applicable to any company/entity (e.g. compliance with Title VII related to EEO laws/regulations); however, in other cases, (e.g. IRS & tax compliance) are unrelated to having a Government contract. |
| 11:30 – 12:30 Lunch: Bridging Generational Gaps in the Workplace: Heather Lebischak |
| Afternoon HR Track | Afternoon Compliance Track |
| 12:30 – 1:30 Session 3: The Importance of Accurate LCAT mapping and Avoiding Common Pitfalls Panelist – Jamie Brabston, Senior Legal Consultant, Redstone GCI Sheri Buchanan, Managing HR Consultant, Redstone GCI Learn More Why is accurate labor category mapping so important? Because you want to get paid, right?! We will walk through the process from recruitment throughout the employment life cycle and discuss the intersection between DCAA, OFCCP and Wage and Hour (SCA) expectations. We will share recent experiences involving DCAA’s questioned costs associated with inaccurate mapping and the subsequent findings from Wage and Hour’s investigation.After attending this session, participants will be able to:
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12:30 – 1:30 Session 3: Truth-in-Negotiations Act Panelist – Jon Levin, Senior Counsel at Aerojet Rocketdyne |
| 1:30 – 1:45 Break | 1:30 – 1:45 Break |
| 1:45 – 2:45 Session 4: HR Survival Guide for Government Contractors Panelist – Jamie Brabston, Senior Legal Consultant, Redstone GCI Sheri Buchanan, Managing HR Consultant, Redstone GCI Learn More Government Contractors are held to higher standards and for your Human Resources team, this means compliance with additional laws and regulations, including those administered by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). We will provide you with an overview of the laws and regulations specific to government contractors, while also providing helpful resources and suggested best practices for compliance with same.After attending this session, participants will be able to:
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1:45 – 2:45 Session 4: DCAA FY20 Audit Plan Update Panelist – John Gilbert, Regional Audit Manager (RAM), DCAA Central Region Learn More DCAA’s Audit Portfolio for Fiscal Year 2020 (October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2020) including DCAA’s resource realignment as a by-product of eliminating the “incurred cost backlog”. DCAA will discuss its audit portfolio in terms of the audit types, priorities and plans to remain current on incurred cost audits as well as plans to reinvigorate audits of contractor business (accounting) system and TINA (Truth in Negotiations Act) compliance. DCAA will explain its use of risk assessments and audit planning and differences in audit breadth (scope) as a function of contractor size (major versus non-major). DCAA will also explain how its recent reorganization has impacted field office alignments with contractors. |
| 2:45 – 3:00 Afternoon Break | 2:45 – 3:00 Afternoon Break |
| 3:00 – 4:00 Session 5: Employment Law Round-Up – Department of Labor Update on Developments from OFCCP, EEOC & Wage & Hour Panelist – Jamie Brabston, Senior Legal Consultant, Redstone GCI Sheri Buchanan, Managing HR Consultant, Redstone GCI Learn More Employment laws are continuously evolving and 2019 has provided an almost unprecedented number of developments. In this jam-packed session, we will review the past year’s key employment law developments, including the DOL changes to the requirements for exempt status and the DOL/NLRB initiatives regarding joint employer liability standards. We will also discuss current cases pending before the U.S. Supreme Court addressing whether Title VII protects against employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and we will address the current status of the #MeToo movement in today’s workplace. Don’t miss this informative session that will recap the highlights of the past year and explore important changes on the horizon for the workplace.After attending this session, participants will be able to:
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3:00 – 4:00 Session 5: Business Systems Year in Review Panelist – Asa J. Gilliland, President & Director, Redstone GCI Learn More In this session, we will cover a variety of challenges faced by our clients in 2019 in order to give the audience a glimpse of some of the more common findings coming out of our work in supporting clients with DFARS Business Systems audits, with emphasis on:
Our goal for the session is to provide the audience with key areas where they can assess their current standing with a variety of DFARS Business Systems. Contractors MUST be focused on the key controls to successfully navigate the growing DFARS Business System Audit Risks. Inadequacies in these systems can prevent the award or even pursuit of contracts, or result in billing withholds. This year our firm has provided an unprecedented level of assistance to our clients in the area of DFARS Business Systems. With DCAA wrapping up their incurred cost backlog, they have taken a renewed emphasis on the accounting and estimating business system audits. The current environment feels much like the environment our clients experienced in the early to mid-2000s during the days of Internal Control Audit Procedures or ICAPs audits. This is a trend that we expect to see DCAA continue to elevate as they backfill the hours once absorbed by incurred cost audits. Likewise, DCMA has reached a steady cadence of reviews related to the purchasing system (CPSR) and government property management systems. At present, the number of CPSR requests actually exceed those of DCAA on accounting and estimating systems audits, but we believe this will normalize in 2020 as both Agencies (DCAA and DCMA) return to full-time focused audits and reviews. |
| 4:00 p.m. Cocktail Hour |
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