Starting Your Government Contract on the Right Foot
As you begin work on a contract, you may be wondering whether there is a risk that you will miss information or make a potential error. This is more common than you might think, so it’s especially important that you kick off the contract on the right foot.
Identify Problems and Notify the Right People
Once you begin working, you’ve accepted the contract. That means you are now responsible for any errors or incomplete information in the contract. The safest course of action is to always wait until corrections are made before starting work. That may not always be practical, however.
The second, best course of action is to contact the contracting officer (CO) to make them aware of the errors or omissions and state that you will be beginning work on the project with the understanding that a correction will be made to the contract. This is exactly when you should thoroughly explain the problem that has yet to be resolved.
You may want to send a similar e-mail if your company has not had time to review the contract thoroughly. Always remember to follow up accordingly and include the contracting representative or contracting technical representative in the message. For this communication to have any legal relevance, it must be received by the CO.
Delegate Authority and Retains Records
You also may have questions about contract enforcement: Who in your company has the authority to sign specific documents, such as contract modifications, subcontracts, or nondisclosure agreements? To ensure that you’re always protected, develop a delegation of authority matrix that grants this power to the designated employees within your organization. You may wish to share this document with the government and subcontractors.
Record retention is another important consideration when starting a new contract. Typically, recordkeeping begins after the final invoice is submitted and the payment is made. Many companies establish electronic systems for contracts that include the following steps:
Establish written procedures.
Establish effective indexing system.
Maintain paper copy for one year.
Coordinate with the IT department.
Have a disaster recovery plan.
Sell Your Services
When it's time to close out a contract, there may be additional considerations. You can ask the CO for an exit interview to verify that they believe you have met or exceeded the expectations of the project. This interview also provides you with another opportunity to sell your services.
To learn more about kicking off a government contract the right way, give us a call today.