# 501.604 Contracting Officer's Representative (COR).

The FAC-COR's role is to develop proper requirements and ensure during contract administration the contractors meet the commitments of their contracts, including the timeliness and delivery of quality goods and services as required by the contract. Information on the FAC-COR certification requirements can be found at http://fai.gov/drupal/certification/fac-cor.

(a) Applicability. Any GSA employee assigned to perform COR duties, regardless of series, must obtain FAC-COR certification, except as provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section. CORs must be certified at the appropriate level no later than six months from the date of their appointment.

(b) FAC-COR waivers. The SPE may waive the requirement for obtaining the FAC-COR certifications prior to appointment as a COR. Waivers will only be considered in compelling and well documented circumstances. This authority is non-delegable. FAC-COR waivers are not transferable to other agencies.

(c) Reciprocity of certifications. As described in OMB memorandum, “Revisions to the Federal Acquisition Certification for Contracting Officers' Representatives,” of September 6, 2011, (http://www.fai.gov), individuals certified as Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) Levels I or II or Federal Acquisition Certification for Program and Project Managers (FAC-P/PM) Mid-Level/Journeyman are considered to have met the FAC-COR requirements for Level II. Individuals certified as FAC-C Level III or FAC-P/PM Senior/Expert are considered to have met the FAC-COR requirements for Level III. These individuals must submit their FAC certificates and continuous learning documents to their BCMs for FAC-COR certification in accordance with the procedures shown in the Acquisition Workforce Community of Practice accessible through GSA's Acquisition Portal (https://insite.gsa.gov/portal/category/534186).

(d) HCAs or their designees, typically BCMs, must do all of the following:

(1) Manage and monitor their FAC-COR programs.

(2) Coordinate with the agency ACM to grant certifications.

(3) Evaluate candidate proficiencies and determine course equivalencies for certification, in accordance with FAI's required COR competencies.

(4) Resolve any certification-related disputes.

(e) FAC-COR application process. Applicants are responsible for preparing an application package for submission electronically through FAITAS (www.fai.gov) for supervisor approval. The application package must include the application form and copies of relevant training certificates. The supervisor is responsible for verifying the accuracy and completeness of the application package in FAITAS. After supervisory review, the certification request is routed electronically to the BCM. If the BCM recommends approval, the application is routed to the ACM, unless delegated, for final approval. After the ACM or designee approves, the FAC-COR certificate is generated through FAITAS.

(f) Contracting officer’s responsibilities.

(1) In appointing CORs under GSAM 542.2, the contracting officer must take into consideration the appropriate FAC-COR Level needed to protect the government's interest. The contracting officer must consider the risk associated with the acquisition, including contract type, in order to determine the appropriate level of FAC-COR coverage.

(2) Contracting officers must provide appointment letters in writing to the contractor, outlining the COR's responsibilities under the contract and the limits of the COR's authority to the contractor. The contracting officer must also provide a copy to the COR and the COR supervisor, and maintain a copy in the official contract file, or a central file referenced in the contract file.

(3) The contracting officer is authorized to revoke a COR appointment. Any revoked COR appointment must be documented in writing, notifying the COR, the COR's supervisor, the contractor and the BCM.

(g) Other executive agency FAC-COR. GSA will recognize COR certifications issued by other executive agencies as long as they appear in the FAITAS certification record and are compliant with current FAC-COR requirements, including continuous learning.

(h) FAITAS. CORs must be registered in FAITAS, the official system of records for all civilian agency FAC programs (www.fai.gov). CORs are responsible for submitting all training and continuous learning activities into FAITAS.