Rather than boxing clients into tiered packages of services (with access to more experienced personnel coming at an additional premium, hourly rate), ReliAscent® tailors our services to each individual client based on their needs and circumstances. Whether your business needs complete outsourced accounting or you already have an existing accounting department, each of our teams can customize their approach to provide everything from basic compliance support to complete outsourced accounting, handling all functions from simple data entry, to month-end financials and reporting required to maintain DCAA compliance, invoicing & grant drawdowns, payroll, and more.
Whether we become your outsourced accounting department or supplement your existing accounting team, the process starts with either setting up a DCAA compliant timekeeping and accounting system (using QuickBooks® Online or Enterprise), or ensuring your existing accounting system is fully compliant. The proper policies and procedures and an accounting manual are provided, and then our accounting teams offer any of the following services as-needed:
FULL CYCLE ACCOUNTING• Maintain DCAA, FAR, GAAP Compliance Typical Cost: Starting at $1,500/mo. for Grantees, or $1,800/mo. for Contractors (Billed Hourly). ...And No Mandatory (and Expensive) Fixed Price Setup or Year-End Fees. |
OTHER AS-NEEDED SERVICES• Proposal Rates & Budget Review/Development Cost: Billed Hourly
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SETTING UP THE DCAA COMPLIANT ACCOUNTING SYSTEMOur experts start by setting up a compliant system in your choice of QuickBooks® Online or Enterprise (hosted on the cloud). This process generally takes 1-5 weeks and the cost can range from as little as $2,000 to as much as $5,000 or more, depending on the state of your books, current number of contracts/grants, if we are backfilling data to January 1st, and other factors.
ReliAscent® does not charge one large, flat fee setup cost, and there are no mandatory end of year minimum fees to close your books and file an Incurred Cost Proposal (ICE), regardless of your size or needs (this is a common approach in the government contract accounting industry to make up for lower advertised "starting-at" prices). Everything is billed hourly and as-needed, so you are not stuck paying mandatory fees for services you are not receiving.
To learn more about installing and converting accounting systems, visit our DCAA Compliant Accounting Systems page. We can also provide a complimentary, top-level DCAA compliance review of your current accounting system to check for compliance gaps. Contact us to learn more.
For larger companies that already have an accounting staff, our experts can train your current accountant(s) to perform the basic bookkeeping function (they can also continue to run payroll, handle invoicing for commercial sales and any government Fixed Price or Time & Material contracts, and handle some other functions). This process can take 6 - 9 months in most cases, and involves reviewing the books, cleaning up any erroneous journal entries, and discussing errors & solutions.
In turn, ReliAscent® provides the following top level accounting services:
The price a small business pays will vary based on the scope of work and the number of contracts & grants. In general, most start-ups with only a single Ph II SBIR/STTR grant (or comparable grant/contract), may only pay as little as $1,500 - $1,700/month. Those that have a Ph II contract (or comparable Cost Type contract) from DoD however, will typically spend a minimum of $2,000/month, though it can be as low as $1,700 - $1,800.
However, most companies don't have just a single contract or grant. So, what does it typically cost if your small business has several contracts and/or grants at any given time? While most clients will pay between $2,000 - $3,500/month for complete outsourced accounting (depending on the scope of work, number of contracts, employees, etc.), businesses with a larger number of contracts and annual revenue (say, $7-10M or more in revenue and much more extensive accounting needs), will typically spend at least $5,000/month for accounting (and those that choose to use the Account Executive extensively for proposal support, and fractional CFO and/or Contract Management services, may pay as much as $7,500 - $10,000/month). It depends on your needs and how much additional support you prefer (beyond the standard accounting and Account Executive guidance). Contact ReliAscent® for more accurate pricing and a formal proposal based on your company's needs.
Remember: all monthly accounting costs are recoverable through your indirect rates, and our experts not only calculate your rates, but help you to strategically manage them to help your business stay competitive and profitable.
