The Cost Accounting Standards Board unexpectedly and abruptly ended a six year effort to amend the CAS's definition of a "cost accounting practice" and "change to a cost accounting practice."  They also agreed not to pursue alternative coverage, leaving the current definitions in place.

The current definitions limit cost accounting practice changes to alternatives in any disclosed or established accounting method or techniques to allocate cost to cost objectives, assign cost ot cost accounting periods or measure cost.  In contrast to the now-abandoned proposal, the current definitions do not recognize as cost accounting practices changes events that merely alter the flow of costs among cost objectives including pool split-outs, pool combinations, and functional transfers.  The recent proposals that were abandoned had expanded greatly the types of contractor activities, such as restructuring, that would be considered a change to an accounting practice and, in turn, would trigger the cost impact process.

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