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(a) Contracting officer warrant program (COWP). GSA’s COWP establishes criteria for the selection, appointment, and termination of appointment of GSA contracting officers. It ensures that a GSA organization has qualified individuals as contracting officers who meet the organization’s needs for contracting authority. Factors considered in determining the number of contracting officers appropriate for a given organization include volume of actions, work complexity, and organizational structure.

(b) Training and education. The COWP establishes acquisition training requirements for all personnel who exercise contracting officer authority consistent with the intent of the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996 and Governmentwide training requirements. COWP incorporates the Governmentwide core curriculum and requires that personnel warranted above the simplified acquisition level meet the same educational standards that apply to personnel in the 1102 contracting series

(c) Deviations. The Senior Procurement Executive must approve, in writing, any deviation from the policies, procedures, and requirements of the COWP.

(d) Definitions.

“Contracting experience” means personal and substantial involvement in purchasing, renting, leasing, or otherwise obtaining goods or services from nonfederal sources and includes any of the following functions: preparing and issuing purchase orders including selection of sources, issuing requests for quotations or solicitations, evaluating bids or proposals, selecting sources, participating in price negotiations, and all aspects of contract administration.

“Contracting Officer Warrant Board” means a group of senior-level acquisition employees who receive, evaluate, and process requests for appointment of contracting officers at the basic, simplified acquisition, intermediate, and senior levels.

“Test control officer” means a GSA employee, designated by the Head of the Contracting Activity, with responsibility for administering tests for acquisition courses for GSA employees.

Designated test control officers must be employed in organizations that are independent of operational activities with acquisition personnel.

(e) Responsibilities.

(1) GSA’s Senior Procurement Executive:

(i) Establishes the policies, procedures, and requirements that govern COWP.

(ii) Approves/disapproves deviations from any of the COWP requirements.

(2) Each HCA establishes procedures for administering COWP in his or her organization. The HCA:

(i) Appoints contracting officers in accordance with FAR 1.603 and designates officials to appoint contracting officers in accordance with 501.603-3(a).

(ii) Establishes and budgets for training plans for contracting personnel.

(iii) Monitors contracting officers’ performance.

(iv) Establishes controls to ensure compliance with laws, regulations, procedures, and good management practice.

(v) Appoints the chairperson of the Contracting Officer Warrant Board (COWB) if a COWB has been established to process requests for contracting officer appointments.

(vi) Determines the number of contracting officer warrants necessary for a particular work unit and the grade levels at which the warrant authority will be granted.

(f) Applicability. COWP applies to all contracting officers except those appointed under the Inspector General Act (Pub. L. 95-452). Contracting authority is not required for any of the following:

(1) Using the imprest fund.

(2) Signing training authorizations for public course offerings.

(3) Signing travel documents.

(4) Ordering printing and duplicating services from Government sources.

(5) Ordering supplies from GSA stock through GSA Advantage! or other electronic means.

(6) Signing Government Bills of Lading.

(7) Signing machine-loaded orders to replenish warehouse stock or to place orders under the Special Order Program.

(8) Signing system-generated delivery orders against definite quantity contracts for motor vehicles.

(9) Signing memoranda of agreement with other Federal agencies.

(10) Authorizing interagency transfers of funds.

(11) Using the Government telephone systems for commercial long distance and local service and/or approving payments for such services.

(12) Using the Federal Supply Service (FSS) nationwide contract for express small package transportation services and/or approving payments for such services.

(13) Certifying receipt and acceptance of goods or services (this does not apply to certified invoices under 513.70).

(14) Submitting a Standard Form 145, Telephone Service Request (TSR), to the Federal Technology Service (FTS).

(g) Warrant levels. COWP warrant levels are based on the dollar value of individual transactions (e.g., contract, modification, supplemental agreement) and not the aggregate contract value. If the basis of award involves evaluating options, the option periods are included in the contract value to determine the warrant level required for award. If an action includes both additions and deductions, the aggregate, absolute value of the changes determines the warrant level required for award (e.g., the value of an action that adds $35,000 of work and deducts $80,000 is $115,000). HCAs may further limit warrant authorities.