(a) Required change—(1) Finding. Prior to making any equitable adjustment under the provisions of paragraph (a)(4)(i) of the contract clause set forth in 9903.201-4(a) or 9903.201-4(e), or paragraph (a)(3)(i) of the contract clause set forth in 9903.201-4(c), the Contracting Officer shall make a finding that the practice change was required to comply with a CAS, modification or interpretation thereof, that subsequently became applicable to the contract; or, for planned changes being made in order to remain CAS compliant, that the former practice was in compliance with applicable CAS and the planned change is necessary for the contractor to remain in compliance.

(2) Required change means a change in cost accounting practice that a contractor is required to make in order to comply with applicable Standards, modifications, or interpretations thereto, that subsequently become applicable to an existing CAS-covered contract due to the receipt of another CAS-covered contract or subcontract. It also includes a prospective change to a disclosed or established cost accounting practice when the cognizant Federal agency official determines that the former practice was in compliance with applicable CAS and the change is necessary for the contractor to remain in compliance.

(b) Unilateral change—(1) Findings. Prior to making any contract price or cost adjustment(s) under the change provisions of paragraph (a)(4)(ii) of the contract clause set forth in 9903.201-4(a) or 9903.201-4(e), or paragraph (a)(3)(ii) of the contract clause set forth in 9903.201-4(c), the Contracting Officer shall make a finding that the contemplated contract price and cost adjustments will protect the United States from payment of increased costs, in the aggregate; and that the net effect of the adjustments being made does not result in the recovery of more than the estimated amount of such increased costs.

(2) Unilateral change by a contractor means a change in cost accounting practice from one compliant practice to another compliant practice that a contractor with a CAS-covered contract(s) elects to make that has not been deemed desirable by the cognizant Federal agency official and for which the Government will pay no aggregate increased costs.

(3) Action to preclude the payment of aggregate increased costs by the Government. In the absence of a finding pursuant to paragraph (c) of this subsection that a compliant change is desirable, no agreement may be made with regard to a change to a cost accounting practice that will result in the payment of aggregate increased costs by the United States. For these changes, the cognizant Federal agency official shall limit upward contract price adjustments to affected contracts to the amount of downward contract price adjustments of other affected contracts, i.e., no net upward contract price adjustment shall be permitted.

(c) Desirable change—(1) Finding. Prior to making any equitable adjustment under the provisions of paragraph (a)(4)(iii) of the contract clause set forth in 9903.201-4(a) or 9903.201-4(e), or paragraph (a)(3)(ii) of the contract clause set forth in 9903.201-4(c), the cognizant Federal agency official shall make a finding that the change to a cost accounting practice is desirable and not detrimental to the interests of the Government.

(2) Desirable change means a compliant change to a contractor's established or disclosed cost accounting practices that the cognizant Federal agency official finds is desirable and not detrimental to the Government and is therefore not subject to the no increased cost prohibition provisions of CAS-covered contracts affected by the change. The cognizant Federal agency official's finding need not be based solely on the cost impact that a proposed practice change will have on a contractor's or subcontractor's current CAS-covered contracts. The change to a cost accounting practice may be determined to be desirable even though existing contract prices and/or cost allowances may increase. The determination that the change to a cost accounting practice is desirable, should be made on a case-by-case basis.

(3) Once a determination has been made that a compliant change to a cost accounting practice is a desirable change, associated management actions that also have an impact on contract costs should be considered when negotiating contract price or cost adjustments that may be needed to equitably resolve the overall cost impact of the aggregated actions.

(4) Until the cognizant Federal agency official has determined that a change to a cost accounting practice is deemed to be a desirable change, the change shall be considered to be a change for which the Government will not pay increased costs, in the aggregate.

(d) Noncompliant cost accounting practices—(1) Findings. Prior to making any contract price or cost adjustment(s) under the provisions of paragraph (a)(5) of the contract clause set forth in 9903.201-4(a) or 9903.201-4(e), or paragraph (a)(4) of the contract clause set forth in 9903.201-4(c), the Contracting Officer shall make a finding that the contemplated contract price and cost adjustments will protect the United States from payment of increased costs, in the aggregate; and that the net effect of the adjustments being made does not result in the recovery of more than the estimated amount of such increased costs. While individual contract prices, including cost ceilings or target costs, as applicable, may be increased as well as decreased to resolve an estimating noncompliance, the aggregate value of all contracts affected by the estimating noncompliance shall not be increased.

[65 FR 37571, June 14, 2000]