Chelsea Cullum
Partner HKA
- Washington DC
Government contracting partner specializing in forensic accounting, economic damages and compliance.
Media
Social
Biography
Chelsea has testified before various federal courts and boards of contract appeals regarding damages and government contracts. She has assisted clients with forensic accounting, procurement analysis, and investigations, litigation support, and compliance analysis on hundreds of matters with amounts in dispute exceeding $2 billion.
Chelsea has expertise in pricing and analyzing certified claims and REAs, supporting contractors in terminations for convenience, performing cost realism analysis in bid protests, conducting investigations related to alleged fraud and defective pricing, and calculating damages in prime contractor-subcontractor disputes. She has calculated and rebutted damages claimed in False Claims Act matters. Chelsea has also assisted clients in commercial litigation, providing expert analysis on economic damages and federal procurement issues in litigation and arbitration.
Chelsea has experience with government regulations and statutes, including the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), the False Claims Act, and the Truthful Cost or Pricing Data statute (formerly known as “TINA”), and the Cost Accounting Standards (CAS). She has advised contractors on compliance and government audits and assists with Service Contract Act (SCA) and Davis-Bacon Act (DBA) compliance, as well as labor mapping issues.
Chelsea is an associate member of the American Bar Association, where she serves as a vice chair on the Bid Protest, Contract Claims and Disputes, Procurement Fraud and False Claims, and Accounting, Cost & Pricing Committees. She is also a member of the Institute of Management Accountants, and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Chelsea also served as an adjunct professor at the George Washington University School of Business, where she taught a graduate-level course on pricing and cost issues in government contracts.
INDUSTRIES SERVED INCLUDE:
Aerospace & Defense | Buildings | Federal & State Government Contracts | Industrial & Manufacturing | Marine & Shipping | Oil & Gas | Power & Utilities | Transportation Infrastructure | Technology, Media & Telecoms
Areas of Expertise
Highlights
- Certified Management Accountant and Certified Fraud Examiner.
- Specializes in economic damages, forensic accounting, and government procurement issues.
- Highly experienced in False Claims Act investigations, requests for equitable adjustment (REAs), terminations for convenience, and bid protests.
- Adept at resolving issues before they become disputes including successfully rebutting adverse government audit findings.
- Expertise in compliance issues relating to the Federal Acquisition Regulation the Service Contract Act and the Davis-Bacon Act.
Qualifications
- CMA – Certified Management Accountant
- CFE – Certified Fraud Examiner
Professional Memberships
ABA
American Bar Association
IMA
Institute of Management Accountants
ACFE
Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
Media Appearances
HKA hires Brian Reimer as director in government contracting
Consulting.us online
2026-08-12
Chelsea Cullum is quoted as an HKA partner discussing Brian Reimer’s government-contracting expertise and appointment.
HKA adds Chelsea Cullum and John Hindman as partners in government contracting practice
Consulting.us online
2025-11-20
Independent consulting-industry coverage of Cullum’s return to HKA, including her government-contracting, forensic accounting, expert-witness and dispute-resolution background.
The False Claims Act in Construction
Construction Law Today, American Bar Association Forum on Construction Law online
2024-04-22
Chelsea Cullum appears as the featured guest discussing the False Claims Act, government-contract claims, public construction projects and forensic accounting.
Education
University of Virginia
BS
Commerce
2009
