Contracting officer (CO)
Also called: CO, KO, PCO, Procuring contracting officer
Updated
What is Contracting officer (CO)?
A contracting officer (CO, often written KO) is the government official with written authority, called a warrant, to enter into, administer, change and terminate contracts on the government's behalf. Only a contracting officer acting within that authority can bind the government, so questions and changes during a solicitation go to the CO.
What a contracting officer does
FAR 1.602-1 gives contracting officers authority within the limits of their warrants. During a solicitation the CO issues the RFP and amendments, answers questions, runs the evaluation process with the evaluation board, and makes or approves the award decision. After award, a CO handles modifications, disputes and terminations; large agencies split these into procuring, administrative and termination contracting officers.
Other government staff, such as program managers or a COR, cannot change the contract. A change agreed with someone else is an unauthorized commitment that the government may refuse to pay unless it is ratified (FAR 1.602-3).
Communicating with the CO
Use the channel the solicitation names, usually email to the CO or contract specialist, and respect the deadline for questions. Once the RFP is out, contact with other agency staff about the competition is restricted; ask the CO instead. Good questions point to a conflict or gap in the text and propose a fix; the answers usually come back to every offeror in an amendment.
In state and local procurement the equivalent is the procurement officer or buyer named in the solicitation, often with a strict no-contact rule during the open period.
Contracting officer (CO) in ProposalWorkspace
The ProposalWorkspace Q&A Center finds the real ambiguities, conflicts and gaps in the RFP and drafts questions for the contracting officer, each linked to its source. You review every question, send them from your own email and mark them sent, and answers in a later amendment are matched back to the questions.
Contracting officer (CO): questions and answers
What is the difference between a CO and a contract specialist?
A contract specialist does much of the day-to-day work on a solicitation, but only the contracting officer holds the warrant that lets them sign and change the contract.
Can I talk to the program office after the RFP is released?
Contact about the competition should go through the contracting officer once the solicitation is out. The RFP usually says so and names the point of contact.
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