Back in 2017, we created the original DCMA Survival Guide to help the GovCon community navigate the complex landscape of DCMA property audits. Staying compliant with the strict requirements of government contracts is critical for contractors. Specifically, all employees need to have a thorough understanding of their contract obligations as well as understand their organizations’ procedures and internal controls relating to the management of their Government Property and End Item deliverables.

Obviously, much has changed and evolved since this popular paper was published in 2017 — but, remarkably many of the core strategies and tactics in the guide still hold true. After all of these years it’s still providing insights into the key areas of concern for DCMA and what contractors can do to be better prepared for an audit. We’re excited to announce that we have recently brought this paper up-to-date again and are now re-releasing a new updated 2025 DCMA Survival Guide.

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Download the new and updated DCMA Survival Guide — How to be Audit Ready: Managing Government Property, End Item Deliverables and Business Systems.

The DCMA Survival Guide has been updated and revised with the latest information to teach you about requirements related to end item shipments and government property audit-readiness. This Guide also provides a valuable update on the latest procedures for reporting asset information to government systems (e.g. GFP Module, IUID Registry, WAWF, PIEE…). Furthermore, this paper will teach you about the consequences of non-conformance and the impacts of a failed audit.

We have taken into account for the fact that the DoD has released new reports in recent months and provided updated guidance on their financial audit priorities. In the new Survival Guide we discuss and share these new 2025 reports, the impacts of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) timeline and provide insights into what it all means for government contractors. Most importantly, we take a look at how DCMA Auditors are assessing government contractors and what they are looking for when they perform a property audit.

In the DCMA Survival Guide you will learn:

  • What DCMA auditors will look for
  • The role of the IUID Registry, WAWF, GFP Module and PIEE
  • The Impacts of the FIAR Directorate
  • Elements of a Property Management System Analysis
  • Consequences of non-conformance
  • Preparing for audit survival

The DCMA Survival Guide — How to be Audit-Ready: Managing Government Property, End Item Deliverables and Business Systems, contains valuable insights not only into how to prepare for and survive a DCMA Property audit, but also explains the benefits of utilizing a modern Government Property Management platform that can improve efficiencies, support your property management team and help your organization pass audits easily.

Get Prepared

In today’s Defense Audit world, it’s not uncommon for program managers to feel overwhelmed about preparing for a possible DCMA audit. Understand that it’s far better to put in the time now than to be deemed non-compliant by a DCMA auditor. The risks are huge and your organization’s reputation is on the line. Non-compliance can result in delayed payments, shipments that are rejected upon receipt, costly corrective actions, retroactive fixes, and auditors codifying your organization’s deficiencies in an official government report. 

Learn the steps that you can take to ensure your organization is adequately positioned to maintain compliance.

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Download the new and updated DCMA Survival Guide here

 

Editors Note:  This article was previously published in April 2021. It has been revised and updated for accuracy in May 2022 , February 2023 and again in June 2025.