Contractors are an integral part of the federal government’s operation, and it is the responsibility of a Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) to provide daily oversight of the contract and be a liaison between the contract’s Program Manager and the federal workforce.

This position is a tightrope that requires the careful balancing of contract requirements, and the rights and obligations of the contracting company towards its employees.

Stephanie Peterson is a COR in the Corporate Operations Department at Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division, Keyport.  Having worked as a contracting officer in the past, she brings a unique perspective to the role a COR plays to ensure the smooth operation of a federal agency’s mission.

“CORs are the Contracting Officer’s representative for day-to-day oversight of the contract,” Peterson said.  The company’s Program Manager is the COR’s counterpart.  It is the Program Manager’s responsibility to ensure his/her employees are fulfilling the duties spelled out in the contract and it is the COR’s responsibility to provide oversight of the contractor’s performance while also ensuring the work being performed by the contractors falls within the scope of the contract.

“One thing we have to watch out for is ‘personal services,’” Peterson said.  The obvious example of ‘personal services’ would be asking a contractor to get coffee or order lunch.  However, ‘personal services’ is often a much subtler line that could be crossed without the COR’s guidance and education of the workforce.

“We don’t grant them leave or track their time sheets” Peterson said as an example.  “The contractors don’t report to the government; they have their own contractor chain of command.”  The COR ensures that the interaction between federal employees and contractors remains focused on the services the contractors are hired to provide, and that any personnel issues are handled by the Program Manager.

Peterson said working as a COR is interesting because the workflow is often unpredictable.  One week she and fellow COR teammates might handle typical reporting duties and general oversight functions, and the next week might could find them handing more complex issues that have to be brought to the commanding officer’s attention.  Peterson emphasized that the Contracting Officer is the only one that has the authority to make changes to the contract.

The COR is also the first line of communication for federal employees who need to raise issues with a contractor’s performance.   While there are instances where contractors are not meeting the requirements of the contract, they are not the only items CORs are in place to handle.  If the federal team believes their contractors are doing an outstanding job and deserve to be recognized, it is imperative that they provide this feedback directly to the COR and not the contractor employee.  The COR will review the feedback as it relates to the requirements of the performance work statement and provide appropriate feedback to the Program Manager.  This allows the contractor’s company to recognize the employee in a way that is consistent with their company’s policies.

“Having a good Program Manager makes a COR’s job easier,” said Peterson.  This is especially true for contracts that have a very dynamic nature in which contractors either turn over very quickly, or perform work that can unexpectedly evolve.  Having a good working relationship between the COR and the Program Manager means issues can be hammered out quickly.

Contractors provide essential services that advance the mission of all federal agencies, including the Navy.  Standing squarely in the middle of this vast machine are the CORs.  These federal employees are specialists in contract oversight and in the building of professional relationships.  They truly form an inner core to the federal government’s work.

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