What Happens After Contract Award? The First 48 Hours Matter More Than You Think

For many government contractors, the award notice feels like the finish line. Months of proposal writing, pricing reviews, negotiations, and waiting have finally paid off.

But from a contracts administration perspective, the award is actually the beginning.

The first few days after contract award set the foundation for everything that follows—from successful performance and accurate invoicing to audit readiness and customer satisfaction. Mistakes made during this transition often aren't discovered until months later, when they're much more difficult (and expensive) to correct.

Over the years, I've seen organizations celebrate the award, forward the contract to the project manager, and immediately jump into execution. Unfortunately, that's also how important details get missed.

Here's what should happen after the award notification arrives.

Step 1: Perform a Thorough Contract Review

Before anyone begins work, the awarded contract should be reviewed carefully to verify that it reflects what was negotiated and proposed.

This review should answer several key questions:

Does the award match the final proposal?

Confirm that the awarded pricing matches the negotiated pricing and final proposal revisions. Verify that labor categories, rates, quantities, option periods, subcontractors, and any negotiated changes have been incorporated correctly.

Even small discrepancies can create billing issues or misunderstandings later in contract performance.

Are all referenced attachments included?

Government contracts often reference numerous attachments, exhibits, technical documents, statements of work, wage determinations, security requirements, or agency-specific forms.

A contract isn't truly complete if referenced attachments are missing.

Create a checklist and verify that every referenced attachment has been received before contract performance begins.

Review every required deliverable

One of the most overlooked sections of a contract is the list of required deliverables.

Don't simply assume the deliverables are the same as those included in the proposal.

Instead, verify:

• Every required deliverable was anticipated during proposal development.

• Any priced deliverables are included in the contract value.

• Due dates are clearly identified.

• Responsible personnel are assigned.

• Recurring reporting requirements are understood.

Pay particular attention to deliverables that are due immediately after award.

These might include:

• Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) disclosures

• Safety plans

• Quality control plans

• Security documentation

• Insurance certificates

• Post-award conferences or kickoff meetings

• Transition plans

• Staffing plans

Missing one of these early deliverables can create an unfavorable first impression with your customer before work has even begun.

Review the CLIN structure

Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs) drive much more than invoicing.

Verify:

• CLIN structure

• Awarded quantities

• Unit prices

• Funding amounts

• Period of performance associated with each CLIN

• Cost-type versus fixed-price requirements

• Option CLINs

• SubCLIN relationships

Understanding the CLIN structure early helps ensure that accounting, project controls, and billing are aligned with the contract from day one.

Review the contract clauses

This step is frequently rushed, but it's one of the most important.

Review the incorporated FAR, DFARS, and any agency-specific clauses to understand the contractor's obligations.

While many clauses appear in multiple contracts, each one may impose different requirements for areas such as:

• Reporting

• Record retention

• Government property

• Subcontracting

• Cybersecurity

• Quality requirements

• Changes

• Invoicing

• Inspection and acceptance

• Payment

• Termination

Understanding these requirements early allows your team to build compliant processes before performance begins instead of reacting later when problems arise.

Step 2: Validate the Award Internally

Contract administration doesn't happen in isolation.

One of the first responsibilities of the contracts administrator is confirming that the awarded contract reflects what the company intended to sell.

This means working closely with the business development and pricing teams to compare:

• Final proposal

• Negotiation memorandums

• Award document

• Final pricing

• Assumptions used during proposal development

This review often identifies negotiated changes that operational teams may not be aware of.

For example:

• Reduced labor hours

• Revised staffing assumptions

• Funding limitations

• Removed tasks

• New reporting requirements

• Updated periods of performance

Making sure everyone understands exactly what was awarded helps prevent misunderstandings once work begins.

Step 3: Conduct a Contract Kickoff Meeting

Once the contract has been reviewed and validated, schedule an internal kickoff meeting with all key stakeholders.

Depending on the size of the contract, attendees may include:

• Program Manager

• Contracts Administrator

• Finance or Accounting

• Program Control

• Business Development

• Operations

• Human Resources

• Security

• Quality

• Safety

• Subcontract Management

The kickoff meeting ensures every department understands its role in successful contract execution.

Topics should include:

• Contract scope

• Customer expectations

• Budget

• Period of performance

• Funding

• CLIN structure

• Key milestones

• Deliverable schedule

• Reporting requirements

• Invoicing requirements

• Major compliance risks

• Required approvals

• Communication workflow

• Roles and responsibilities

This meeting creates alignment before work begins instead of trying to fix communication issues later.

Step 4: Prepare for Contract Setup

Once the contract review is complete, the contract is ready for implementation.

One of the most important next steps is setting the contract up correctly in your accounting or ERP system. Project structure, funding, billing rules, indirect rates, labor categories, and reporting all depend on an accurate setup.

Because this topic deserves more than a few paragraphs, I'll cover contract setup in detail in a future article.

Don't Forget the Small Details

Before closing out your post-award review, consider whether you've also:

• Verified the contracting officer and contracting officer's representative (COR) information.

• Confirmed funding documentation and any incremental funding limitations.

• Established a modification tracking process.

• Created a contract file with all award documents and correspondence.

• Identified required subcontract agreements or purchase orders.

• Added key contract dates and deliverables to a tracking system.

• Reviewed insurance, bonding, or security requirements.

• Identified any organizational conflicts of interest or ethics requirements.

• Assigned ownership for recurring reports and customer communications.

These administrative tasks may seem routine, but they help prevent compliance gaps later in the life of the contract.

Final Thoughts

A government contract is much more than a signed agreement—it's the blueprint for how your company will perform, invoice, communicate, and remain compliant throughout the life of the project.

Taking the time to perform a structured post-award review can prevent costly mistakes, improve communication across departments, and position your team for successful execution from day one.

In future articles, I'll take a deeper dive into several of these topics, including contract setup in the accounting system, building an effective deliverable tracker, and creating a contract file that stands up to audits.

Key Takeaway: The award notice isn't the finish line. It's the moment when good contract administration begins.