The DCAA layer QuickBooks does not know about.
Indirect rates. Signed timekeeping. Equipment costing. The four reports DCAA actually asks for. Purpose-built for 5 to 50 person federal contractors.
What FieldLedger covers under DCAA
Four focus areas that map directly to what auditors inspect. Each with the FAR, DCAA, and DFARS citations your accountant and CO expect to see.
Timekeeping that survives an audit
Signed daily time entry. Project and CLIN coding enforced. Period lockdown with admin-reopen requiring written justification, logged to the audit trail forever.
Indirect rate engine
Pool definition, cost allocation, and rate computation under FAR Part 31 Structure A or B. Provisional vs. actual tracking. Year-end true-up. Circular references resolved for predetermined equipment rates.
Equipment costing (USACE method)
EP 1110-1-8 predetermined rates with age and condition adjustments. Standby rates. Related-party rental cap. Actual, rental, or mixed cost methods selectable per contract.
Audit-ready reports
Provisional billing rate letter. Labor distribution. Equipment usage with related-party flag. ICE Model Schedules H / I / K / L as CSV, ready for your incurred cost submission.
When DCAA shows up
Four audit touchpoints. FieldLedger produces the evidence for each.
Pre-award accounting system survey
The SF 1408 checklist maps directly to what DCAA wants to see. FieldLedger produces the audit trail, segregation of direct/indirect costs, job cost ledger, and labor distribution reports called out on the form.
Incurred cost submissions
Annual ICE submissions require Schedules A through O. FieldLedger exports the ones most small contractors struggle with: H (labor pool + base), I (cost pool calculation), K (hours and amount by claim), and L (payroll reconciliation).
Floor checks and unannounced visits
Signed timesheets with period lockdown. Admin-reopen events logged forever. Employee sign-off on every period. The audit trail answers the floor-check questions before they are asked.
Forward pricing / rate audits
Provisional vs. actual rate tracking. Variance analysis. Rate letter generation. The evidence trail around the number, not just the number itself.
Compliance-first infrastructure
What your auditor and prime contractor expect to see on day one.
- FAR Part 31 indirect rate math
- Signed timesheet audit trail with 7-year retention
- AES-256 encryption at rest
- TLS 1.2+, HSTS, Azure Key Vault
- Soft-delete with full audit log on every change
- Tenant isolation on every query
- Role-based access control (Admin, PM, Supervisor, Accountant)
- CMMC Level 2 attestation roadmap ready
Questions
Is FieldLedger a DCAA-approved system?+
No accounting system is "DCAA-approved". DCAA audits the contractor, not the software. FieldLedger gives you the signed electronic timekeeping, indirect rate math, and audit trail DCAA actually wants to see. FAR 31.105(d)(3) prohibits vendors from claiming DCAA approval. We just produce work product that survives the audit.
What if I use QuickBooks for my GL?+
Keep it. FieldLedger adds the DCAA layer QuickBooks does not know about: indirect rate pools, allowable vs. unallowable classification, labor distribution, signed timesheets. Two-way sync pulls your chart of accounts and employees. QuickBooks stays where it is.
Can I pass a pre-award survey with just FieldLedger?+
FieldLedger covers the accounting-system criteria on SF 1408. You still need written policies and procedures (timekeeping policy, indirect cost policy, expense policy). We ship templates for those in onboarding, but the policies must match your actual practice.
What is NOT covered today?+
Full general ledger (use QuickBooks). Payroll processing (use Gusto or ADP). Benefits administration. FieldLedger is the DCAA operations layer that sits alongside your financial stack, not a replacement for it.
How does this compare to Deltek Costpoint or Unanet?+
Those are full ERPs priced for 250+ person contractors. FieldLedger is purpose-built for the 5-50 person SDVOSB, 8(a), or HUBZone firm. Pair Core with QuickBooks for your GL. One-tenth the cost. When you outgrow it, your data and signed records export cleanly.
See where you stand. No signup.
15 questions. Weighted score against the 7 DCAA audit focus areas. Gap analysis delivered inline.
Take the DCAA readiness quizBidding under a specific NAICS?
FieldLedger publishes a per-NAICS reference covering SBA size standards, set-aside fit, common FAR and DFARS clause flowdowns, and indirect-rate considerations for the top federal-contracting NAICS codes.
Browse the NAICS referenceEvaluating alternatives?
See how FieldLedger compares to the federal-contracting accounting and ERP alternatives small contractors evaluate: Costpoint, Unanet, PROCAS, JAMIS, ICAT.
Compare FieldLedger to alternatives