The federal procurement landscape of 2026 is no longer defined by the dense, “overcomplicated regulatory framework” of the past. Under the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO)—the most significant revision to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) in over 40 years—the government is stripping away non-statutory “bloat” to focus on speed and mission success.
For contractors holding Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) or IDIQ contracts, this deregulation isn’t just a change in rules; it’s a mandate to modernize how they calculate and report indirect costs.
What is the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO)?
By 2026, the RFO has moved most non-mandatory “buying strategies” out of the FAR and into the Strategic Acquisition Guidance (SAG).
- The Key Change: The FAR now focuses strictly on statutory requirements, rewritten in plain language to eliminate ambiguity.
- The Challenge: While the “rules” are simpler, the discretion given to Contracting Officers (COs) is higher. To win “best value” determinations, contractors must provide high levels of transparency through their accounting systems.
Mandatory Transactional Data Reporting (TDR) in 2026
Fiscal Year 2026 marks the full implementation of mandatory TDR for all GSA MAS contract holders. This is a seismic shift in how data is shared with the government.
- The Pivot: GSA has moved away from traditional Commercial Sales Practices (CSP) disclosures and toward monthly line-item reporting.
- Why it Matters: You must now report 16 specific data elements every month. This granularity provides the government with real-time market intelligence, but it requires a level of ERP integration that manual spreadsheets simply cannot handle.
Redesigning Your Indirect Rate Structure for Agility
With the RFO prioritizing “faster acquisitions,” contractors are abandoning rigid, multi-layered rate structures that slow down the bidding process.
- The 2026 Trend: A shift toward agile 2-tier or 3-tier structures. This allows for “Standard” vs. “Service Center” rates that better reflect the modern reality of remote and hybrid workforce costs.
- Audit Scrutiny: Don’t let the “simplified” FAR fool you. The DCAA is using the RFO’s push for efficiency to demand more frequent “Trend Analysis” on indirect costs to ensure they stay within provisional boundaries.
How Daston’s DCAA on Demand NetSuite SuiteApp Solves the 2026 Gap
As the recognized experts in DCAA and Government Contracting within the NetSuite ecosystem, Daston built the DCAA on Demand SuiteApp to act as the bridge between complex requirements and NetSuite’s core power.
- Automated Indirect Cost Allocation: The SuiteApp handles unlimited user-defined allocation pools and service centers. It automatically calculates actual vs. target rates, ensuring your “Statement of Indirect Costs” is ready whenever an auditor calls.
- TDR Integration: Daston enables the automated extraction of the 16 mandatory TDR data elements directly from NetSuite sales orders, eliminating the stress of monthly reporting.
- Real-Time Visibility: While the RFO increases CO discretion, Daston’s Project Status Reports provide the transparency needed to win “Best Value” negotiations by proving your costs are reasonable and allocable.
Conclusion
The Revolutionary FAR Overhaul isn’t just deregulation—it’s a digital transformation signal. To compete in 2026, your accounting system must be as agile as the regulations it follows. Daston remains at the forefront, providing the software and the expertise to ensure your firm is not just compliant, but competitive.
Key References for Your Research:
- Acquisition.gov: Revolutionary FAR Overhaul – Official Resources
- GSA.gov: Transactional Data Reporting (TDR) Mandatory Requirements 2026
- Defense Acquisition University (DAU): Strategic Acquisition Guidance (SAG) and FAR 2.0 Initiatives
About Daston Corporation
Since its founding in 1992, Daston Corporation has established itself as a top-tier provider of professional and SaaS technology solutions, dedicated to serving the unique needs of the public sector. As an SBA Certified HUBZone and Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), we bring over a decade of specialized experience in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) to the government contracting community. We are a certified NetSuite Solutions Partner and SuiteApp Developer, focusing on the seamless implementation and optimization of cloud-based business management tools that drive mission success.
What sets Daston apart is our deep-rooted technical expertise and our proprietary technology. Our GovCon Essentials and DCAA-on-Demand NetSuite SuiteApp are specifically engineered to navigate the complexities of federal oversight, ensuring our clients maintain strict compliance with FAR, CAS, and DCAA regulations. By integrating these robust compliance frameworks into the industry-leading NetSuite platform, we provide a unified environment where operational efficiency and regulatory rigor coexist.
Our team of subject matter experts acts as a strategic guide through every phase of the business lifecycle—from initial assessment and deployment to long-term support and audit readiness. This commitment to excellence has fueled our rapid expansion, earning Daston a place on Inc. Magazine’s list of the fastest-growing private companies in America for four consecutive years. At Daston, we handle the complexities of financial and operational management so that our clients can focus on their core mission with absolute confidence. Additionally, Daston is a Premier Google Cloud and Google Workspace Partner, who leverages its deep technical expertise and award-winning history to provide specialized licensing and support across the public and private sectors. We have a team of Google Certified professionals utilize advanced competencies in AI, security, and cloud architecture to help entities modernize infrastructure and achieve secure, optimized digital transformations.