We are proud that we were able to write and publish 83 articles on this blog during calendar 2014. Assuming an average of 1,000 words per article, that’s enough verbiage to fill a decently sized novel. Not too bad, if we do say so ourselves.

We wanted to publish our “Top 5” list of the 2014 articles. But the problem was how to determine the list. Our first thought was by “hit count” (i.e., the number of times the article was clicked-on. But the problem with that approach is that articles which have been published longer tend to have the higher hit counts, since there has been more time for readers to find them. So that approach was dumped.

Instead, we are simply listing the Top 5 2014 articles we think offered the most value to our readers. It’s just our opinion; nothing more.

They are:

5. Delinquent Final Billing Rate Proposals, in which we discussed how DCAA began to classify “inadequate” final billing rate proposals as “delinquent” proposals, which permitted them to drop those proposals from its embarrassing backlog of unaudited contractor submissions.

4. Musings About DCAA (Parts 1 and 2), in which we discussed how DCAA had shifted workload to DCMA without noticeably reducing its staff.

3. Effective Subcontractor Risk Management, in which we discuss why a prime contractor’s focus on managing its own risks is misplaced, and why focusing on managing risks in the supply chain is a better strategy.

2. Audit Clause Meets Attorney-Client Privilege, in which we discuss the tension between contract clauses granting government auditors (and investigators) access to contractor records and the legal doctrine of attorney-client privilege.

1. Why You Subcontractors Should NOT Let Your ACO Set Billing Rates for Your Invoices to Your Prime Contractors, in which we advance the notion that provisional and final billing rates between prime and subcontractor are a matter solely between those two contracting parties, and the ACO has very little official authority to intervene.

So that’s our Top 5 for 2014.

Looking over the full list of 83 articles and the Top 5 list above, we think it’s a pretty broad, even eclectic, list of topics. Despite what some people think, we do not engage in relentless DCAA-bashing. Indeed, there are only two DCAA-focused articles in the Top 5 list.

We think we have continued to bring our readers the latest news in the world of Federal government contracting, with an emphasis on compliance, administration, and management of government contracts. Which is exactly aligned with the consulting services we offer to our clients.

We have focused on adding perspective to the information our blog articles, with an objective of being informative, entertaining, and value-added for a minimal subscription price of absolutely free.

We trust you think the value provided is worth the investment of time.

Thank you for your continued patronage.