The Role of a Contracting Officer

By Jason WhiteAudio PostFebruary 22, 2022

By definition: “A Contracting Officer (CO) is a person who can bind the Federal Government of the United States to a contract. Contracting Officers hold a warrant that allows them to negotiate on behalf of the United States Government. As the Government’s agent, only COs may execute, modify, or terminate a contract.”

Contracting Officers work at every government agency and acquire everything from nuclear aircraft carriers to office supplies.

The role of a contracting officer are:

–       The Government obtains value from contracts

–       All requirements of law and regulation are met prior to executing an action

–       Sufficient funds are available for obligation

–       Contractors receive impartial, fair, and equitable treatment

–       Both parties comply with the terms of the contract

–       The interests of the United States are safeguarded and taxpayer’ money is spent wisely

More plainly, the contracting officer is the person that will decide whether to grant you a government contract or not. They determine the statement of work.  They create and promulgate the bid requirements (as previously discussed). They are typically the point of contact for submitting bids to and/or asking questions about the scope of work.  Most importantly, they will evaluate the various bids from contractors against the stated evaluation factors.  Based on this evaluation, they award winning bidders with a contract.

In addition to evaluating bids and awarding contracts, the contracting officer is responsible for the integrity of the bid process.  They are trained to very high standards of ethics and integrity.  This is often most evident in cases where a conflict of interest may arise.  Contracting officers are trained to be on guard, and to report, any situation that may even be perceived as a conflict of interest.  Bidding for and obtaining a federal contract may be an administrative nightmare, but the process intentionally seeks thoroughness over efficiency to ensure that the process is fair and free from any perception of corruptness.