FAR 1.6—Subpart 1.6

General.

FAR 1.601 explains who has legal authority to contract for the Government and how that authority is organized within an agency. It covers the agency head’s basic contracting authority, the ability to establish contracting activities, delegation of broad management authority to heads of contracting activities, the rule that only contracting officers may enter into and sign contracts on behalf of the Government, the special situation where some high-level officials are contracting officers by virtue of their positions, the appointment requirement for contracting officers below the head of a contracting activity, and the ability of agency heads to make interagency agreements to assign contracting functions or create joint or combined offices. In practice, this section is foundational because it ties together organizational authority and legal signature authority: if the wrong person signs, the Government may face an unauthorized commitment or other enforceability problems. It also matters for how agencies structure acquisition organizations, share acquisition workload, and establish joint procurement arrangements. For contractors, this section is a reminder to verify that the Government representative has actual contracting authority before relying on promises or directions. For contracting personnel, it defines the chain of authority and the limits on who can bind the Government.

Contracting officers.

Selection, appointment, and termination of appointment for contracting officers.

Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).

FAR 1.604 explains the role of the contracting officer’s representative (COR) in contract oversight and the recordkeeping that must support that role. It covers three main subjects: the COR’s function as a technical monitor or administrator of a contract, the requirement for the COR to maintain a file for each assigned contract, and the minimum contents of that file. Those required file contents include the contracting officer’s designation letter and any documents defining the COR’s duties and responsibilities, a copy of any contract administration functions that have been delegated to a contract administration office but cannot be delegated to the COR, and documentation of the COR’s actions taken under the delegation of authority. In practice, this section is about making the COR’s authority clear, limiting that authority to what has actually been delegated, and creating a record that supports accountability and oversight. It matters because CORs often interact with contractors on day-to-day performance issues, but they do not replace the contracting officer and cannot act beyond their written authority. The file requirement also helps protect the government and the contractor by showing who was authorized to do what, when, and under what limits.