COR COR Roles, Authority & Limitations 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When a COR suspects a contractor employee is violating safety regulations on a government worksite, what should the COR do first?
- Dismiss the employee from the site immediately
- Issue a unilateral stop-work order to the contractor
- Document the violation and immediately notify the Contracting Officer (Correct answer)
- Ignore it if the violation appears minor
Correct answer: Document the violation and immediately notify the Contracting Officer
The COR must document the safety violation and immediately notify the Contracting Officer, who has authority to direct the contractor to take corrective action.
Question 2: What does 'apparent authority' mean in the context of a COR's role?
- The COR has a written delegation authorizing the action taken
- A contractor reasonably believes the COR has authority they actually lack (Correct answer)
- The COR is acting lawfully under emergency contract conditions
- The COR has been granted unlimited authority by the agency head
Correct answer: A contractor reasonably believes the COR has authority they actually lack
Apparent authority arises when a contractor reasonably believes a COR has authority that the COR actually lacks, potentially binding the government to an unauthorized commitment.
Question 3: The term 'Contracting Officer's Technical Representative' (COTR) refers to:
- A position with greater authority than a COR
- An alternate agency title for the same role as a COR (Correct answer)
- A senior COR who supervises junior CORs
- A limited-warrant contracting officer
Correct answer: An alternate agency title for the same role as a COR
COTR is simply an alternate title used by some federal agencies (particularly DoD legacy usage) for the identical role known as COR at other agencies.
Question 4: What role, if any, does a COR typically play during the source selection and proposal evaluation phase?
- CORs negotiate final contract prices during this phase
- CORs have no involvement until after contract award
- CORs may support technical evaluation panels with subject matter expertise (Correct answer)
- CORs sign the contract on behalf of the government
Correct answer: CORs may support technical evaluation panels with subject matter expertise
CORs may serve on technical evaluation panels during source selection, providing subject-matter expertise, but they do not have authority to make award decisions.
Question 5: A COR identifies a potential conflict of interest with a current contractor. What must the COR do?
- Ignore it if the financial interest is below the reporting threshold
- Continue performing duties but add a note in the contract file
- Immediately disclose it to both the Contracting Officer and the agency ethics official (Correct answer)
- Recuse themselves quietly without notifying anyone
Correct answer: Immediately disclose it to both the Contracting Officer and the agency ethics official
CORs are required to immediately disclose potential conflicts of interest to both the Contracting Officer and the agency ethics official in accordance with federal ethics regulations.
Question 6: Under FAR 1.602-2, who bears responsibility for ensuring CORs are designated in writing and maintain required certifications?
- The requiring activity Program Manager
- The Contracting Officer (Correct answer)
- The agency's Chief Acquisition Officer
- The agency Inspector General
Correct answer: The Contracting Officer
FAR 1.602-2 places responsibility on the Contracting Officer to ensure CORs are properly designated in writing, given clear instructions, and maintain required training certifications.
COR COR Roles, Authority & Limitations 2
When a COR suspects a contractor employee is violating safety regulations on a government worksite, what should the COR do first?