GSFC Procurement Operations Division

Effective March 1, 2006

Updated August 22, 2012

Appointment and Training of Contracting Officers and Other Buying Authorities

Outside of the GSFC Procurement Organization*

•GSFC Procurement includes support to NASA Headquarters.This policy does not apply to Government purchase card holders, for which the training, etc. is different

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Contents

•Description

•General Criteria for Appointment

•Process

•Limitations

•Scope

•Thresholds

•Actual Authority

•Termination/Restriction

•Training Requirements

•Description

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Description of a Non-1102 Contracting Officer and Other Buying Authority

•Non-1102 Contracting Officers are individuals appointed by the Center Procurement Officer or designee who have limited authority to issue purchase orders, task and/or delivery orders, and other actions such actions requiring the obligation of funds.

•In addition to actual Contracting Officer warrant holders, the Procurement Officer or designee may also appoint individuals to hold limited “ordering” authority for such actions as calls against Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPA’s).

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General Criteria for Appointment

• A valid organizational need must be demonstrated

• The GSFC Procurement Officer must (in writing) appoint all Contracting Officers at GSFC

• Candidate must successfully complete a 2-hour course from Federal Acquisition Institute and GSFC supplemental training

• Non-1102 obligation authorities are restricted (dollar value, organization covered, etc.)

Note: Contracting Officer Warrants & other buying authorities are normally for only the procurement organization (NFS 1.603-2)—they go to the GS-1102 (Contract Specialist) Personnel Series

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Process for Obtaining Non-1102 Warrants and Other Buying Authorities

• If the general criteria is met, a written request to the GSFC Procurement Officer may be submitted

– Use checklist form accompanying this policy for each non-1102 warrant (located at https://code210.gsfc.nasa.gov under the Procurement Services tab)

– Checklist is optional for other buying authorities (e.g., Blanket Purchase Agreement ordering) but all criteria must be addressed

– Include copies of course certificate(s)

• Requests are routed through the technical organization and the supporting procurement organization

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Limitations of Non-1102 Warrants and Other Buying Authorities

• Limitations stated on the written warrant or other authority document– Subject to particular organizational or programmatic area (e.g., training,

facilities contracts, HVAC, GISS, etc.)

– Subject to dollar limitations (e.g., $3K, $10K, etc.)

• All authorities subject to requirements of law, executive orders, regulations, applicable procedures, clearances & approvals– Individuals must take regular ethics training as sponsored by the Office of

Chief Counsel

– Individuals must do annual financial disclosure reporting

– Individuals are subject to periodic audits

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Scope of Non-1102 Warrants and Other Buying Authorities

• Currently, about 14 GSFC contracting officer warrants are for individuals outside of the procurement organization (i.e., non-1102s)– Training

– Facilities Contracts

– HVAC Services

– HQ Building Services

– Printing Specialists

• Other buying authority take such forms as individuals authorized to issues calls under Blanket Purchase Agreements or place orders and/or make obligations for services such as printing

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Non-1102 Warrants and Other Buying Authorities Thresholds

• GSFC has standard dollar thresholds for Contracting Officer warrants; examples include:– $0 (Facilities Contracts)

– $3,000 (Training)

– $10,000 (Printing Specialists)

– $25,000 (GISS)

– $100,000 (Special needs)

• Other buying authorities vary with circumstances

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Actual Authority of Non-1102 Warrants and Other Buying Authorities

• May enter into, administer, or cancel contractual arrangements

• May obligate (i.e., “bind”) the Government within limits of authority

• May make determinations & findings

• Given wide latitude to exercise business judgment

• Authorities may not be delegated

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Termination/Restriction of Non-1102 Warrants and Other Buying Authority

• GSFC Procurement Officer may terminate or restrict authority• At any time

• For any reason

• For any length of time

• Authority automatically terminated when individual leaves the position

that required the warrant/authority in the first place

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Training Requirements

• FAI Contracting Orientation Course*– 2-hour web-based course available at https://learn.dau.mil*– Required for all non-1102 personnel with buying authority– Must successfully complete this course one-time only– Must obtain certificate showing successful completion

• NASA/GSFC Supplemental Basic/Refresher Course– Required for all non-1102 “authority” holders– Does not duplicate annual ethics training– Does no duplicate annual financial disclosure– Repeat/Refresher required every 5 years– Training provided by GSFC Procurement Training Coordinator on an as-needed

basis (i.e. instructor-led training)

* Go to site, then click on Continuous Learning Courses “CLC 011, Contracting for the Rest of Us“, where you can browse the course. However, to receive credit for the course, you must register and create an individual student account. Once you've done this, you can enroll for a particular on-line course. This course provides a general government-wide orientation to the procurement process. Be sure to get a printed certificate showing you’ve completed the course for credit.

DAU = Defense Acquisition University

FAI = Federal Acquisition University