A lot of our members are government contracting personnel who use our blogs and podcast to help them understand all the different areas contracting people have to know to do their jobs. Many aspire to become Contracting Officers with a warrant to obligate the government to work. Most agencies screen their workforce and limit who can hold a warrant.
FAR 1.602-1 – Contracting officers Authority
“(a) Contracting officers have authority to enter into, administer, or terminate contracts and make related determinations and findings. Contracting officers may bind the Government only to the extent of the authority delegated to them. Contracting officers shall receive from the appointing authority (see 1.603-1) clear instructions in writing regarding the limits of their authority. Information on the limits of the contracting officers’ authority shall be readily available to the public and agency personnel.
(b) No contract shall be entered into unless the contracting officer ensures that all requirements of law, executive orders, regulations, and all other applicable procedures, including clearances and approvals, have been met.”
I think I was a pretty good CO in my long career. Three different agencies granted me unlimited warrant authority, which means I could sign a contract for any amount. My biggest was over $250M but I did have a friend who signed a multi-year aircraft production contract for over (doing my best Dr. Evil voice) $1 Billion! He told me his hand was shaking just a bit.
Being a contracting officer is more than just signing the contract obligating the government. As a CO you are responsible for shaping that acquisition in such a way as to meet the requirements of a customer but also adhere to all the laws and regulations of the FAR (and other regs). Try to never put yourself in a position of agreeing to an acquisition strategy that makes you nervous to sign the resulting contract.
What skills do you need to be a good contracting office? I think first it’s understanding your industry. Most of you will buy service or commodities of a particular type. For example, in one year I went from doing R&D work to doing logistic support. Having worked logistics, I thought it would be a breeze to make the transition. Turns out I had to learn a whole new area. Conversion of technical manuals to electronic formats. I had to learn all about the process of how that was done. When I was working weapons, I had to learn all about the testing and approval process in fielding new weapons. My willingness to learn the basics helped me to do better in helping developing requirements and understanding proposals.
Second skill is to be innovative. Think outside the box. I took every opportunity in my career to try something new. When you take the opportunity to do something better, you will always learn and be a better CO for it. Study what works for other agencies – even commercial practices. Always look for ways to help your customer.
Last skill is to be a little fearless! Everyone likes to second guess the CO but they don’t have to sign the contract. Your job is to know the rules and there are times when the answer to a customer will be “no you can’t do that”. Never just say no to his strategy; offer alternatives. Offer to do some research and find a way to get something done. That goes a long way in gaining customer confidence. A CO has tremendous clout and I have had to tell more than one senior official what they are proposing to do violates law and or regulation. Any contract you sign is the best you can do with the knowledge you have at the moment. You can’t anticipate every problem so don’t worry when part of a contract runs into a problem. Fix it, learn from it, and move on. The perfect contract is only one modification away.
So, when you get that first warrant (mine was for $2500 and was issued back in “80s) be proud. It’s an acknowledgement of your skill in contracting and the trust your organization has in you to make sound business decisions.