The Role of the Contracting Officer

Vern Edwards said:

During the 1960s through the 1980s, researchers produced many studies, reports, and articles about "the role of the contracting officer" and about the relative responsibility and authority of contracting officers and program managers. See, e.g., the attached.

You don't see many such articles today. Why do you think that is? Is the matter settled?

What is the role of the contracting officer?

Some jobs like procurement in the 1960s through 1980s involved “territories” - “that’s my area and not yours” attitude. The contracting officer had defined authority and had sole responsibility for carrying out all contracting matter. The same applied to other jobs like program management, budget, accounting, legal, and even typing correspondence and duplicating (xeroxing). Everything was stovepiped and work was done in sequential steps by passing pieces from one office to the next. I clearly remember people arguing and defending their own turf with comments like “that’s my job” and “I make the call on that and not you.”

Now all this is mostly nonexistent. Between easy access to information, use of multifunction teams, performance of tasks in parallel rather than sequential, and just the general notice that “everyone must share and work together,” the contracting officers defined role fits into this blurring.

As far as the role, I agree with the following position taken fromThe Future Role of the Contracting Officer article:

It is clear that contracting officers can no longer rely on traditional roles but must seek to

expand their function to one that includes multi-faceted competencies. As acquisition in DOD

continues to transform, it is critical that the contracting professionals also evolve to meet the

requirements of the future. Contracting officers must abandon the roles of compliance and

process monitors that they have personated in recent decades and move towards returning to the

originally intended role of trusted business advisor for our customers.

On 2/20/2026 at 8:10 AM, Vern Edwards said:

You don't see many such articles today. Why do you think that is? Is the matter settled?

What is the role of the contracting officer?

The matter of "role" will never be settled as those who attempt to explain confuse role with responsibility as demonstrated by the example artciles. Role is in my view clearly defined in FAR Part 2. That role is to enter into, administer, and/or terminate contracts and make related determinations and findings.

Responsibilities of the contracting officer are myraid. The FAR provides for some of those responsibilities clearly where by example FAR Parts 4, 9, and others have subparts entitled Contracting Officer responsibilities and other FAR Parts imply the responsibilities. Then the FAR muddies the waters with such terms as Administrative or Termination Contracting Officer. Then throw in agency FAR supplements, policy, especially policy with regard to warranting a CO, add in position descriptions and the responsiblities vary. Take this example. While the world has changed consider a Contracting Officer for the SBA's 8(a) Program. The responsibilities included insuring 8(a) participant compliance with 13 CFR 124. The whole 8(a) dynamic has changed with the advent of the Partnership Agreements now used. (Here I can only suggest that one pull up on the agreements and look at the roles and responsibilities delinated.)

Conclusion - The "role of contracting officer" is static. The muddled confusion lies in the responsiblities the Contracting Officer as a 1102 or possibly a other civil service position or a military officer is given beyond that of the FAR.