(a) Applicability and responsibility. (1) The corporate administrative contracting officer and individual administrative contracting officers shall jointly decide how to conduct negotiations. Follow the procedures at PGI 242.705-1(a)(1) when negotiations are conducted on a coordinated basis.

(b) Procedures. (2)(iii) When agreement cannot be reached with the contractor, the auditor will issue a DCAA Form 1, Notice of Contract Costs Suspended and/or Disapproved, in addition to the advisory report to the administrative contracting officer.

(a) Defense Contract Management Agency administrative contracting officers are authorized to negotiate the settlement of direct and indirect costs for a specific contract, task order, or delivery order to be closed in advance of the determination of final direct costs and indirect rates set forth in FAR 42.705, regardless of the dollar value or percentage of unsettled direct or indirect costs allocable to the contract, task order, or delivery order.

(2) In lieu of the thresholds at FAR 42.708(a)(2)(i) and (ii), the amount of unsettled direct costs and indirect costs to be allocated to the contract, task order, or delivery order will be considered relatively insignificant when the total unsettled direct costs and indirect costs to be allocated to any one contract, task order, or delivery order do not exceed $2 million, regardless of the total contract, task order, or delivery order amount.

This section implements 10 U.S.C. 3762,Independent; 10 U.S.C. 3763,Bid; and 10 U.S.C. 3847,Defense.

Defense contractors are encouraged to engage in independent research and development (IR&D) projects that will advance the needs of DoD for future technology and advanced capability (see 231.205-18(c)(iii)).

(a) The cognizant administrative contracting officer (ACO) or corporate ACO shall determine cost allowability of IR&D costs and bid and proposal (B&P) costs as set forth in 231.205-18 and FAR 31.205-18.

(b) The Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) shall—

(1) For the DoD-wide B&P program, submit an annual report to the Principal Director, Defense Pricing and Contracting, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, in connection with 10 U.S.C. 3763(c); the Defense Contract Management Agency or the military department responsible for performing contract administration functions is responsible for providing DCAA with statistical information, as necessary; and

(2) For IR&D costs and B&P costs incurred under any DoD contract in the previous Government fiscal year, submit an annual report to the congressional defense committees as required by 10 U.S.C. 3847.

(c) The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)), is responsible for establishing a regular method for communication—

(1)(i) From DoD to contractors, of timely and comprehensive information regarding planned or expected needs of DoD for future technology and advanced capability, by posting information on communities of interest and upcoming meetings on the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) website at https://defenseinnovationmarketplace.dtic.mil/communities-of-interest; and

(ii) From contractors to DoD, of brief technical descriptions of contractor IR&D projects; and

(2) By providing OUSD(R&E) contact information: [email protected].