(a) Business Unit A has been including the cost of scientific computer operations in its G&A expense pool. The scientific computer is used predominantly for research and development, rather than for the management and administration of the business unit as a whole. The costs of the scientific computer operation do not satisfy the Standard’s definition of G&A expense; however, they may remain in the G&A expense pool unless they can be allocated to business unit cost objectives on a beneficial or causal relationship which is best measured by a base other than a cost input base representing the total activity of a business unit during a cost accounting period.

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

(b) Segment B performs a budgeting function, the cost of which is included in its G&A expense pool. This function includes the preparation of budgets for another segment. The cost of preparing the budgets for the other segment should be removed from B’s G&A expense pool and transferred to the other segment.

(c)(1) Business Unit C has a personnel function which is divided into two parts: A vice president of personnel who establishes personnel policy and overall guidance, and a personnel department which handles hirings, testing, evaluations, etc. The expense of the vice president is included in the G&A expense pool. The expense of the personnel department is allocated to the other indirect cost pools based on the beneficial or causal relationship between that expense and the indirect cost pools. This procedure is in compliance with the requirements of this Standard.

(2) Business Unit C has included selling costs as part of its G&A expense pool. Unit C wishes to continue to include selling costs in its G&A pool. Under the provisions of this Standard, Unit C may continue to include selling costs in its G&A pool, and these costs will be allocated over a cost input base selected in accordance with the provisions of 9904.410-50(d).

(3) Business Unit C has included IR&D and B&P costs in its G&A expense pool. Unit C has used a cost of sales base to allocate its G&A expense pool. As of January 1, 1978 (assumed for purposes of this illustration), the date on which Unit C must first allocate its G&A expense pool in accordance with the requirements of this Standard, Unit C has among its final cost objectives several cost reimbursement contracts and fixed price contracts subject to the CAS clause (referred to as the preexisting contracts). If Unit C chooses to use the transition method in 9904.410-50(e):

(i) Unit C shall allocate IR&D and B&P costs during the transition period (from January 1, 1978, to and including the cost accounting period during which the preexisting contracts are completed), to the preexisting contracts as part of its G&A expense pool using a cost of sales base pursuant to 9904.410-50(e) and appendix A to 9904.410.

(ii) During the transition period such costs, as part of the G&A expense pool, shall be allocated to new cost reimbursement contracts and new fixed price contracts subject to the CAS clause using a cost input base as required by 9904.410-50 (d) and (e) and appendix A to 9904.410.

(iii) Beginning with the cost accounting period after the transition period the IR&D and B&P costs, as part of the G&A expense pool, shall be allocated to all final cost objectives using a cost input base as required by 9904.410-50(d). If Unit C chooses not to use the transition method in 9904.410-50(e), the contractual provision requiring appropriate equitable adjustment of the prices of affected prime contracts and subcontracts will be implemented.

(4) Business Unit C has accounted for and allocated IR&D and B&P costs in a cost pool separate and apart from the G&A expense pool. Unit C may continue to account for these costs in a separate cost pool under the provision of this Standard. If Unit C is to use a total cost input base, these costs when accounted for and allocated in a cost pool separate and apart from the G&A expense pool will become part of the total cost input base used by Unit C to allocate the G&A expense pool.

(5) Business Unit C has included selling costs as part of its G&A expense pool. Unit C has used a cost of sales base to allocate the G&A expense pool. Unit C desires to continue to allocate selling costs using the costs of sales base. Under the provisions of this Standard, Unit C would account for selling costs as a cost pool separate and apart from the G&A expense pool, and continue to allocate these costs over a cost of sales base. If Unit C uses a total cost input base to allocate the G&A expense pool, the selling costs will become part of the total cost input base.

(d)(1) Business Unit D has accounted for selling costs in a cost pool separate and apart from its G&A expense pool and has allocated these costs using a cost of sales base. Under the provisions of this Standard, Unit D may continue to account for those costs in a separate pool and allocate them using a cost of sales base. Unit D has a total cost input base to allocate its G&A expense pool. The selling costs will become part of the cost input base used by Unit D to allocate the G&A expense pool.

(2) During a cost accounting period, Business Unit D buys $2,000,000 of raw materials. At the end of that cost accounting period, $500,000 of raw materials inventory have not been charged out to contracts or other cost objectives. The $500,000 of raw materials are not part of the total cost input base for the cost accounting period, because they have not been charged to the production of goods and services during that period. If all of the $2,000,000 worth of raw material had been charged to cost objectives during the cost accounting period, the cost input base for the allocation of the G&A expense pool would include the entire $2,000,000.

(3) Business Unit D manufactures a variety of testing devices. During a cost accounting period, Unit D acquires and uses a small building, constructs a small production facility using its own resources, and keeps for its own use one unit of a testing device that it manufactures and sells to its customers. The acquisition cost of the building is not part of the total cost input base; however, the depreciation taken on the building would be part of the total cost input base. The costs of construction of the small production facility are not part of the total cost input base. The requirements of 9904.404 provide that those G&A expenses which are identifiable with the constructed asset and are material in amount shall be capitalized as part of the cost of the production facility. If there are G&A expenses material in amount and identified with the constructed asset, these G&A expenses would be removed from the G&A expense pool prior to the allocation of this pool to final cost objectives. The cost of the testing device shall be part of the total cost input base per the requirements of 9904.404 which provides that the costs of constructed assets identical with the contractor’s regular product shall include a full share of indirect cost.

(e)(1) Business Unit E produces Item Z for stock or product inventory. The business unit does not include G&A expense as part of the inventory cost of these items for costing or financial reporting purposes. A production run of these items occurred during Cost Accounting Period 1. A number of the units produced were not issued during Period 1 and are issued in Period 2. However, those units produced in Period 1 shall be included in the cost input of that period for calculating the G&A expense allocation base and shall not be included in the cost input of Period 2.

(2) Business Unit E should apply the G&A expense rate of Period 1 to those units of Item Z issued during Period 1 and may apply the rate of Period 2 to the units issued in Period 2.

(3) If the practice of Business Unit E is to include G&A expense as part of the cost of stock or product inventory, the inventory cost of all units of Item Z produced in Period 1 and remaining in inventory at the end of Period 1, should include G&A expense using the G&A rate of Period 1.

(f)(1) Business Unit F produced Item X for stock or product inventory. The business unit does not include G&A expense as part of the inventory cost of these items. A production run of these items was started, finished, and placed into inventory in a single cost accounting period. These items are issued during the next cost accounting period.

(2) The cost of items produced for stock or product inventory should be included in the G&A base in the same year they are produced. The cost of such items is not to be included in the G&A base on the basis of when they are issued to final cost objectives. Therefore, the time of issuance of these items from inventory to a final cost objective is irrelevant in computing the G&A base.

(g) The normal productive activity of Business Unit G includes the construction of base operating facilities for others. Unit G uses a total cost input base to allocate G&A expense to final cost objectives. As part of a contract to construct an operating facility, Unit G agrees to acquire a large group of trucks and other mobile equipment to equip the base operating facility. Unit G does not usually supply such equipment. The cost of the equipment constitutes a significant part of the contract cost. A special G&A allocation to this contract shall be agreed to by the parties if they agree that in the circumstances the contract as a whole receives substantially less benefit from the G&A expense pool than that which would be represented by a cost allocation based on inclusion of the contract cost in the total cost input base.

(h)(1) The home office of Segment H separately allocates to benefiting or causing segments significant home office expenses of staff management functions relative to manufacturing, staff management functions relative to engineering, central payment of health insurance costs, and residual expenses. Segment H receives these expenses as separate allocations and maintains three indirect cost pools; i.e., G&A expense, manufacturing overhead, and engineering overhead; all home office expenses allocated to Segment H are included in Segment H’s G&A expense pool.

(2) This accounting practice of Segment H does not comply with 9904.410-50(g)(2). Home office residual expenses should be in the G&A expense pool, and the expenses of the staff management functions relative to manufacturing and engineering should be included in the manufacturing overhead and engineering overhead pools, respectively. The health insurance costs should be allocated in proportion to the beneficial and causal relationship between these costs and Segment H’s cost objectives.