Accounting Records and Progress Payments (JAN 2020)

(a) The Contractor shall keep full and detailed accounts and exercise such controls as may be necessary for proper financial management under this contract. The Contractor's accounting and control systems shall meet Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and provide for the following:

(1) There is proper segregation of direct costs and indirect costs.

(2) There is proper identification and accumulation of direct costs by contract.

(3) There is a labor time distribution system that charges direct and indirect labor appropriately.

(b) The Contractor shall afford access to and shall permit any authorized representatives of the Government to audit, examine and copy any records, documents, books, correspondence, instructions, drawings, receipts, subcontracts, purchase orders, vouchers, memoranda, and other data relating to this contract. Records subject to audit, examination, and copying shall include those records necessary to evaluate and verify all direct and indirect costs, including overhead and payroll tax and fringe benefit allocations, as they may apply to costs associated with the contract. The Contractor shall preserve these records for a period of three years after the final payment, or for such longer period as may be required by law.

(c) The records identified in paragraphs (b) of this clause shall be subject to inspection and audit by the Government or its authorized representative for, but not limited to, evaluating and verifying:

(1) Contractor compliance with contract requirements;

(2) Compliance with pricing change orders, invoices, applications for payment, or claims submitted by the contractor or any of its subcontractors at any tier, including vendors and suppliers.

(d) If requested by the Government, the Contractor shall promptly deliver to the Government or its designee copies of all records related to the contract, in a form acceptable to the Government. The Contractor shall provide to the Government or its authorized representative such records maintained in an electronic format in a computer readable format on data disks or suitable alternative computer data exchange formats.

(e) The Government shall have access to the Contractor's facilities, shall be allowed to interview all current and former employees to discuss matters pertinent to the contract, and shall be provided adequate work space, in order to conduct audits and examinations.

(f) If any audit or examination of the Contractor's records discloses total findings resulting in overpricing or overcharges by the Contractor to the Government in excess of one-quarter percent of the total contract billings, the Contractor shall immediately reimburse the Government for the overcharges. The Contractor shall also reimburse the Government for the costs of the audit unless otherwise agreed to by the Government and the Contractor.

(g) The Government shall be entitled to audit all modifications, including lump-sum modifications, to determine whether the proposed costs, as represented by the Contractor and any of its subcontractors, are in compliance with the contract. If it is determined that the costs proposed under a modification, including lump-sum modifications, are not in compliance with the contract, the Government reserves the right to adjust the amount previously approved and included in the modification.

(h) If the Contractor fails to comply with any conditions in this clause, the Contracting Officer may retain a maximum of 10 percent of the amount of each payment request submitted until such deficiencies are corrected.

(i) These requirements regarding accounting records shall not mitigate, lessen nor change any other requirements in the contract regarding audits, payment submissions, records, or records retention.

(j) The contractor agrees to incorporate the substance of this clause in all subcontracts under this contract.