Many times, contracting companies tend to be interested in having contracts with department of defense, however, little do they know that for the contract to be completed, they need to be compliant with all of the clauses specified in the defense federal acquisition regulation supplement. Defense federal acquisition regulation supplement which is an acronym for DFARS refers to asset of regulation that governs the way the Federal government gets its products. Anytime you have a contract with the federal government, it is best to observe all the clauses of DFARS failure to which can result in the termination of the contract. Contractors also need to follow the rules stated in the contract since whey they fail to do so, they may end up losing all their work. When you have a contract with the federal government, you need to beware of the DFARS clauses especially the one that defines cybersecurity standards. It is worth noting that the cybersecurity standards clause calls for contractors to implement the requirements identified in the National Institute of Science and Technology Special Publication 800-171.
It is common to find that in the course of their contracts with the government, contractors tend to be in possession of non-classified information for which the federal government regulations need safeguarding. As much as one may think the information is non-classified, there is a need for the government to protect it for national interest. For instance, the information may be private such that disclosing can end up damaging a person.
It is worth noting that not all cases involving non-compliance can lead to loss of contract, the contracting officer needs to determine the consequence of the action. In the event that you are dealing with contracts that involve controlled unclassified information, attestation of compliance is a prerequisite for submitting bids for future DOD contracts. On the other hand, small contractors who act as subcontractors to the prime contractor needs to expect their primes to be vigilant about ensuring their compliance.
On the other hand, smaller contractors, the challenge they encounter is on how to find a compliance strategy for the rules. It is worth noting that according to the rules, the contractors need to have adequate security covered on their information systems.
Here are the questions you need to ask before signing a contract with the federal government. First and foremost, you need to ask what constitutes adequate security in regards to DFARS compliance. The contractors need to be in a better position to describe how they have implemented, the safeguards described on the special publications. The contents of this article are vital for contractors who need to know much about DFARS compliance.