Introduction

Introduction

This first edition of the Defense Contingency COR Handbook provides the basic knowledge and tools needed by contracting officer's representatives (COR) to effectively support contingency operations. The handbook is designed specifically to address the realities faced by CORs in operations outside the continental United States (OCONUS). The information in this handbook is extracted from numerous sources within the defense acquisition community. Those sources include the Federal Acquisition Regulation; the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; the Joint Ethics Regulation; Department of Defense (DoD) directives, instructions, publications, and policies; and countless CORs and contingency contracting officers who have learned hard lessons in deployed environments.

The handbook's size reflects its comprehensive nature. It is intended to provide as much information as possible for the COR who may not have access to other resources. It is not meant to be read cover to cover; rather, it is organized to aid the COR in finding exactly what he or she needs for the situation at hand. The users of this handbook will be able to take away relevant and comprehensive guidance from chapters 1 through 11. The appendices, figures, and tables offer supplemental data for instances where additional or more specific information is needed.

The handbook begins with discussions of why contracting on the battlefield is so important and what commanders need to know.¹ It then addresses ethics, which are always important in contracting, but are critical to in-theater contingency contracting. Next, the handbook discusses the acquisition team and the acquisition process. This discussion serves as the backdrop to a chapter on the COR's responsibilities. The handbook then provides an overview of contracts, including their categories, types, and structure, and an overview of contract administration. The next three chapters describe various aspects of the COR's most important role: monitoring the contractor. The first of these chapters contains general information about monitoring the contractor; the other two contain specific information about monitoring service contracts and monitoring construction contracts. The final chapter of the handbook addresses cultural diversity, a key consideration in any OCONUS operation.

Appendix 4 defines terms and abbreviations used in contracting, and Appendix 7 contains resources and references that CORs may find useful. (All source documents referenced in the handbook chapters are listed in Appendix 7) The remaining appendices contain additional information: COR qualifications and training, acquisition team points of contact, independent government estimates, contract planning and source selection, forms, checklists, and metric conversions.

This handbook is a guide only and is intended to supplement (not replace) formal COR training given by various DoD and Office of the Secretary of Defense activities. Depending on the contract or situation, the duties of a COR could be different. CORs should refer to their letter of appointment for their specific duties and responsibilities. For more information about formal COR training, see the Defense Acquisition University COR community of practice Web site at https://acc.dau.mil/cor. In addition to formal COR training, local contracting officers may provide contract-specific training.

Notes

0. In this handbook, the term commander is used to reference the commander or civilian equivalent. Top

Acronyms

COR – Contracting Officer's Representative

DoD – Department of Defense

OCONUS – Outside the Continental United States