The need to secure contract actuals is understood by most contracting professionals, but what specifically does “actuals” mean and where should programs start? This topic will focus on providing specific guidance on where to look and how to look as early as possible in the acquisition process to leverage the data to allow programs to get more with every dollar. This topic will focus on what contracting officers are entitled to, at what times, and from a 10K foot view how to use that information to set up deeper dives into specific estimating challenges.