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302 FW 2 |
New Date: April 17, 2008 Series: Logistics Part 302: Contracting Officers Originating Office: Division Contracting and Facilities Management |
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2.1 What is the purpose of this chapter? This chapter:
A. Supplements the Department of the Interior’s (Department) Contracting Officer’s Representative Program Manual (COR Manual) for certifying the acquisition workforce, and
B. Describes the Service’s process for certifying and appointing Contracting Officers’ Representatives (CORs).
2.2 What is the objective of this chapter? The objective of this policy is to ensure that our CORs have the education, training, and experience they need to accomplish mission goals effectively.
2.3 What are the authorities for this chapter?
A. Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) Act, as amended (41 U.S.C. 405).
B. OFPP Policy Letter 05-01: Developing and Managing the Acquisition Workforce, 04/15/05.
C. Office of Management and Budget Memorandum: The Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting Program, 01/20/06.
D. Department of the Interior’s Contracting Officer’s Representative Program Manual, 10/2006.
2.4 What is a COR?
A. A COR is a Service employee in a position outside of the contracting/procurement job series (GS-1102 and GS-1105 series) who performs contract management duties including, but not limited to:
(1) Defining requirements for contracts,
(2) Acquisition planning and strategy, and
(3) Technical oversight and administration of specific contracts.
B. The Contracting Officer appoints the COR and supports him/her by providing the technical expertise necessary for effective contract management.
2.5 What is the basis for requiring certification of CORs? In 2005, the Office of Federal Procurement Policy established the Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) program for employees in the contracting/procurement job series. It also required that agencies develop by April 1, 2007 training requirements that CORs must meet. The COR Manual spells out the requirements for training and the certification of prospective CORs.
2.6 Who is responsible for the certification and appointment of CORs?
A. The Chief, Division of Contracting and Facilities Management (CFM):
(1) Serves as the Bureau Procurement Chief for the Service, and
(2) Certifies CORs in the Washington Office.
B. The Chief, Branch of Policy and Information Management serves as the Bureau COR Program Coordinator, maintaining current information about the training of CORs and sharing it with the Bureau Procurement Chief and others, as appropriate.
C. The Contracting Officer (CO):
(1) Determines the need to appoint a COR to a contract;
(2) Evaluates an employee’s qualifications to serve as a COR;
(3) Appoints CORs who have satisfied training requirements and gives them a written description of their authorities and duties and the duration of the appointment;
(4) Upon request, gives the CORs’ supervisors input for the CORs’ performance evaluations; and
(5) May at any time unilaterally terminate, for administrative reasons or for cause, a COR’s authority on a contract the CO manages.
D. The Regional Chiefs of Contracting and General Services (CGS) are the COR certifying officials in Regions 1 through 8.
2.7 What are the steps for obtaining COR certification?
A. The prospective COR:
(1) Registers in the Acquisition Career Management Information System (ACMIS),
(2) Completes and maintains all required training, and
(3) Enters information on completed training into ACMIS.
B. The COR’s supervisor verifies that the COR has met the training requirements.
C. The CGS Chiefs for Regions 1 through 8 and Chief, CFM for the Washington Office:
(1) Maintain accurate and current information about the training of CORs in accordance with records management regulations,
(2) Verify the applicability and reasonableness of Continuous Learning Points, and
(3) Certify CORs for their respective Regions.
2.8 What training is required for a COR? Not more than 2 years before the employee’s first appointment as a COR, he/she must have completed at least 40 hours of basic COR training.
A. The training:
(1) Must be comprehensive and specific to COR duties, and
(2) May be either a single 40-hour class or an equivalent combination of shorter classes.
B. For suggested courses and where they are held, see the list of “Training Sources for Contracting Officers’ Representatives” (Exhibit 1).
C. For the initial COR qualification, the employee should take classroom training. If there is an urgent need for a COR appointment and with the prior approval of the supervisor, the employee may take Internet-based COR training courses through the Defense Acquisition University. To get 34 hours of online training, the COR must complete the following courses plus at least 6 hours of other related training:
(1) CLC 106, Contracting Officer Representative with a Mission Focus;
(2) CLM 024, Contracting Overview;
(3) CLM 012, Scheduling; and
(4) CLC 013, Performance-Based Services Acquisition.
2.9 After a COR is certified, what are the continuing education requirements?
A. To maintain COR certification, the employee must complete a minimum of 40 Continuous Learning Points (CLPs) in acquisition or COR-related training (such as project management) within every 2-year period after completing basic COR training. One CLP typically corresponds to one classroom hour.
B. The training to maintain COR certification:
(1) Must be related to acquisition or project management and provide a certificate showing successful completion;
(2) May be sponsored by the Service, another bureau or the Department, another Federal agency, or a non-government training vendor; and
(3) May be in any type of venue (classroom, online, videotape, or CD/DVD).
C. Every 4 years, the employee may take the 40-hour basic COR certification training again to meet the continuing education requirements.
D. For further guidance on CLPs, see Appendix 3 of the DOI FAC-C Program Manual.
2.10 What happens if an employee does not meet the initial or continuing education requirements?
A. Any employee who did not complete the required initial COR training by December 31, 2007 may not be appointed as a COR until he/she completes the basic certification training.
B. If an employee had a COR appointment but did not complete the required training by December 31, 2007, the CO may terminate that employee’s appointment.
C. If a COR fails to earn the required 40 CLPs for continuing education, the CGS/CFM Chief will terminate his/her certification and the CO will terminate any COR appointments.
D. If a COR loses his/her certification, he/she must take another 40 hours of basic COR certification training.
E. If the CGS/CFM Chief terminates a COR’s certification, the Chief will notify the COR’s supervisor and the affected CO(s).
2.11 Can the requirements for COR certification be waived?
A. If the program office that needs a COR’s support can provide adequate written justification, the CGS/CFM Chief may waive a COR’s certification to:
(1) Allow appointment without the required training with the caveat that the COR must complete required training within 90 days of appointment; or
(2) Allow a one-time, contract-specific waiver when it is in the best interest of the Government and only under unusual or emergency situations. For example, the requirement could be waived to allow an employee without training to serve as a COR for a contract in response to a natural disaster, such as Hurricane Katrina. In these circumstances, the CGS/CFM Chief may still require the COR to complete required training within 90 days.
B. The CO for the affected contract must put a copy of the written waiver, including the rationale for the waiver, in the contract file. The CGS/CFM Chief gives copies of all waivers to the Department’s Office of Acquisition and Property Management during the annual Internal Control Review.
2.12 When does the CO need to appoint a COR to a contract?
A. The Department requires COR appointments for:
(1) All contracts for construction and/or architectural and engineering services;
(2) Cost type contracts (e.g., cost-reimbursement, cost-plus-award-fee, etc.);
(3) Service contracts over the Simplified Acquisition Threshold;
(4) Large, complex, or high risk awards;
(5) Awards subject to testing requirements;
(6) Performance-based acquisitions; and
(7) Contracts performed outside the United States.
B. Appointment of a COR is generally not necessary when oversight duties are limited to verifying the count and quality of delivered items.
2.13 How is a COR appointment made?
A. Once an employee satisfactorily completes the basic (and any specialized) training and records the data in ACMIS, he/she is eligible for COR appointment.
B. When there is an appropriate contract project, the COR’s supervisor may nominate the employee as a COR to the responsible CO.
C. The CO must verify the nominee’s COR training and other qualifications.
D. If the CO approves the nominee, he/she writes a COR appointment memorandum for the specific contract. |
For information on the content of this chapter, contact the Division of Contracting and Facilities Management. For additional information about this Web site, contact Krista_Holloway, in the Division of Policy and Directives Management.
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