Contracting Officer's Representative (COR)
A contracting officer's representative is a government employee designated in writing under FAR 1.602-2(d) to monitor contract performance on the contracting officer's behalf. A COR has no authority to make commitments or changes affecting price, quality, quantity, delivery, or other contract terms.
FAR 1.602-2(d) sets the designation rules: a COR must be a government employee unless agency regulations provide otherwise, certified under the FAC-COR program, and qualified by training and experience matched to what is being delegated. The designation letter is the instrument. It states the extent and limits of the authority, the period covered, that the authority is not redelegable, and that the COR may be personally liable for unauthorized acts.
The job under FAR 1.604 is technical monitoring and administration — inspecting work, reviewing deliverables, and keeping a COR file with the designation, a description of duties, and documentation of actions taken. Certification scales with risk: FAC-COR Level I is eight hours of training for simple supply buys; Level III covers an agency's most complex contracts.
The failure mode is a COR who directs work. A contractor who performs on a COR's say-so holds an unauthorized commitment, and ratification under FAR 1.602-3 is the narrow way out.
Regulatory Reference
FAR 1.602-2(d); FAR 1.604; OMB FAC-COR guidance
RFO Status
The June 23, 2026 proposed rule covering Parts 1, 2, 4, 33, 39, 40, and 53 consolidates COR policy into a proposed FAR 1.404; until it finalizes, 1.602-2(d) and 1.604 control except at agencies operating under the Part 1 model deviation.
Category
Processes & Methods
How AcqBot Helps
AcqBot drafts designation letters with the authority limits 1.602-2(d) requires, matches FAC-COR level to contract risk, and assembles the COR file — designation, duties, surveillance records — that auditors ask for at closeout.
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Best-Value Tradeoff
The best-value tradeoff process permits award to other than the lowest-priced or highest-rated offeror when the source selection authority documents that the superior proposal's benefits are worth its price premium, or that a cheaper proposal's savings outweigh its weaknesses.