Cost/Price Realism and Pricing Strategy in Government Contracting (2026 Update)

Format: Live webinar (on-demand recording available on November 5, 2026)
Date: October 29, 2026
Time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
Duration: Approx. 90 minutes
Presented by: Michelle Martinez (govIRG)
Learning Credits: 1.5 CPEs, 1.5 ATCs

*Your registration includes access to the on-demand recording.

Pricing in government contracting isn’t just a number; it’s a story you have to be ready to tell, defend, and live with through execution, billing, and audit. In 2026, that story runs through FAR 15.404-1, CAS applicability, FAR Part 31 cost allowability, and cost realism, and contractors who can’t connect their pricing to solid accounting evidence are losing awards or getting burned post-award. This session gives you a practical framework for building pricing that’s competitive going in and defensible coming out.

In this session, you’ll learn how to:

• Build a pricing strategy that is competitive, explainable, performable, billable, and defensible
• Understand how FAR 15.404-1, CAS, FAR Part 31, and cost realism affect proposal pricing and cost support
• Answer RFP accounting-system questions and support small-business CAS exemptions with the right evidence
• Strengthen SF1408 / Accounting System Narrative readiness with practical cost accounting documentation
• Properly segregate direct, indirect, and unallowable costs for cleaner pricing, billing, and audit support
• Develop indirect rate structures that support both competitive bids and contract execution
• Evaluate accounting system choices based on GovCon growth goals, contract type, reporting needs, and compliance expectations
• Improve proposal files with stronger BOEs, rate support, subcontractor analysis, CMMC cost planning, and review trails
• Connect proposal pricing decisions to execution, billing, incurred-cost support, and audit readiness
• Apply current 2026 pricing and compliance updates to your next government contract price

Whether you’re preparing your first cost proposal or tightening up rate structures ahead of an audit, this webinar will help you make pricing decisions you can explain, back up, and execute against with confidence.

Who should attend: Contracts, proposal, pricing, and finance professionals at small and mid-size government contractors, whether you’re refining an existing pricing process or building your accounting infrastructure to support growth.