Contracting Officer's Technical Representative
Encyclopedia
A Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) is a business communication
s liaison
between the United States
government
and a private contractor. He or she ensures that their goals are mutually beneficial. The COTR is normally a federal or state employee who is responsible for recommending authorizing (or denying) actions and expenditures for both standard delivery orders and task orders, and those that fall outside of the normal business practices of its supporting contractors and sub-contractors. Most COTRs have experience in the technical area (i.e., electronics, chemistry, public health, etc.) that is critical to the success of translating government requirements into technical requirements that can be included in government acquisition documents for potential contractor to bid and execute that work. A COTR must be designated by a Contracting Officer
(CO). The CO has the actual authority to enter into, administer, and/or terminate contracts and make related determinations and findings. Other terms for COTR include Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) and Project Officer (PO). The terminology may be agency specific.
There are limits to the authority delegated to the COTR. The COTR is not authorized to make any commitments or obligations on behalf of the government
. The COTR may not grant the contractor permission to deviate from the requirements stated in the contract, nor direct the contractor to perform any work outside that stated in the contract.
The COTR must have a minimum of 40 hours of training, including 22 hours of training in essential COTR competencies. The COTR competencies include project management
, decision making, market research, problem solving and negotiations. The remaining 18 hours of training should include courses relating to the specific needs of the agency and program office. Once the COTR receives their certification they are required to earn 40 continuous learning points every two years thereafter.
Federal Acquisition Institute http://www.fai.gov
Acquisition Central http://www.acquisition.gov/bestpractices/bestpcont.html
Federal Acquisition Certification for Contracting Officer's Technical Representatives http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/procurement/memo/fac-cotr.pdf
Business communication
Business Communication: communication used to promote a product, service, or organization; relay information within the business; or deal with legal and similar issues. It is also a means of relaying between a supply chain, for example the consumer and manufacturer.Business Communication is known...
s liaison
Liaison job
Liaison jobs are jobs that "link" two or more specialties. For example, "systems analyst" jobs work with customers and management to understand and document their automation needs and then transfer such information to computer programmers, who turn the collected information into working software...
between the United States
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
and a private contractor. He or she ensures that their goals are mutually beneficial. The COTR is normally a federal or state employee who is responsible for recommending authorizing (or denying) actions and expenditures for both standard delivery orders and task orders, and those that fall outside of the normal business practices of its supporting contractors and sub-contractors. Most COTRs have experience in the technical area (i.e., electronics, chemistry, public health, etc.) that is critical to the success of translating government requirements into technical requirements that can be included in government acquisition documents for potential contractor to bid and execute that work. A COTR must be designated by a Contracting Officer
Contracting Officer
A Contracting Officer is a person who can bind the United States government to a contract that is greater than the Micro-Purchase threshold. This is limited to the scope of authority delegated to the Contracting Officer by the head of the agency.In the Department of Defense the acronym KO is...
(CO). The CO has the actual authority to enter into, administer, and/or terminate contracts and make related determinations and findings. Other terms for COTR include Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) and Project Officer (PO). The terminology may be agency specific.
Responsibilities
The Contracting Officer's Technical Representative is responsible for monitoring the contractor's progress in fulfilling the technical requirements specified in the contract. The COTR ensures that all required documentation and data are submitted in accordance with the procurement deliverable schedule. Should the contractor fail to fulfill the contractual requirements, the COTR must inform the contractor of such failure. The COTR informs the contracting officer of any technical or contractual problems or delays. The COTR maintains administration records, approves invoices and performs final inspection and acceptance of work performed under the contract.There are limits to the authority delegated to the COTR. The COTR is not authorized to make any commitments or obligations on behalf of the government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
. The COTR may not grant the contractor permission to deviate from the requirements stated in the contract, nor direct the contractor to perform any work outside that stated in the contract.
Training Requirements
On November 26, 2007 the Office of Management and Budget, issued a memorandum which established a standardized training program for Contracting Officer's Technical Representatives. The program was developed by the Federal Acquisition Institute in coordination with all executive agencies. The program applies to all Technical Representatives except those subject to Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act. All Technical Representatives appointed after November 26, 2007 must be certified no later than six months from their date of appointment. Technical Representatives who received their appointment before November 26, 2007 must ensure that training is obtained, and they are recertified no later than 12 months from the effective date of the memorandumThe COTR must have a minimum of 40 hours of training, including 22 hours of training in essential COTR competencies. The COTR competencies include project management
Project management
Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, securing, and managing resources to achieve specific goals. A project is a temporary endeavor with a defined beginning and end , undertaken to meet unique goals and objectives, typically to bring about beneficial change or added value...
, decision making, market research, problem solving and negotiations. The remaining 18 hours of training should include courses relating to the specific needs of the agency and program office. Once the COTR receives their certification they are required to earn 40 continuous learning points every two years thereafter.
See also
See the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)Federal Acquisition Institute http://www.fai.gov
Acquisition Central http://www.acquisition.gov/bestpractices/bestpcont.html
Federal Acquisition Certification for Contracting Officer's Technical Representatives http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/procurement/memo/fac-cotr.pdf