COR Certification and Appointment

DOI CORs (Interior Business Center or Office of the Secretary)

The Interior Business Center's Head of the Contracting Activity will issue all certifications under the Federal Acquisition Certification (FAC) Program for Contracting Officer’s Representatives (FAC-COR) through the Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI) Cornerstone OnDemand (CSOD). For FAC-COR application information, please see the FAC-COR Certification Requirements and contact the OS/IBC Bureau Acquisition Career Coordinator (BACC), BACC@ibc.doi.gov.

DOI CORs (outside IBC or Office of the Secretary)

Please contact your Bureau Acquisition Career Coordinator (BACC) who will be assisting you in processing your FAC-COR application. Once your FAC-COR is issued, provide a copy to your IBC Contracting Officer. For assistance in locating your BACC, please refer to the DOI Acquisition Toolkit - Training & Certifications or contact BACC@ibc.doi.gov.

Civilian Agency CORs (outside DOI)

For funding agencies that issue certifications under the Federal Acquisition Certification (FAC) Program, the COR must have a current FAC-COR as shown by the FAI CSOD Continuous Learning Individual Progress (CLIP Dashboard).

IBC can no longer certify training for CORs. As directed by the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, individual agencies have the responsibility of certifying their own employees under the FAC Program.

For funding agencies that issue their own COR certification (not under the FAC Program), the COR certification must indicate the validity period and the equivalent FAC-COR Level.

For funding agencies that do not issue a FAC-COR or their own COR certifications, COR must complete training completed within the last 2 years. The IBC Contracting Officer will review COR certification/training documents and appoint you as COR if documents are acceptable.

Department of Defense CORs

Department of Defense has opted out of the FAC-COR requirement. However, DOI OS/IBC follows the COR training guidance in DoDI 5000.72, "DoD Standard for Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) Certification. DOD COR training is considered current if completed within the last 3 years. The IBC Contracting Officer will review COR certification/training documents and appoint you as COR if documents are acceptable.

Contracting officer's Representatives have an important role in the administration and technical oversight of contracts. The Office of Management and Budget has developed a Government-wide standard for certifying contracting officer’s Representatives. COR candidates are required to meet specific training requirements to become certified. Only certified CORs are eligible to perform associated duties in support of contracts. To meet this regulatory requirement, and in support of our procurement partnership, your agency must:

Recommend a federal employee from your agency to be the COR.

• Obtain FAC-COR certification from your agency FAC-COR Program Coordinator. The IBC contracting officer will appoint the individual once FAC-COR certification is verified. Please ask for a sample appointment letter that defines the COR’s responsibilities.
• Include the certified COR’s and designated alternate’s name, address, voice/fax number and email address on the POC information template and funding document.
• Maintain COR certification by completing required training and providing IBC's Acquisition Services with a FAC-COR Certificate.
• Immediately recommend a replacement FAC-COR certified COR as necessary (as a result of retirement, transfer, loss of certification, appointment termination).
• Ensure the appointed COR provides prompt invoice approvals. For invoice disputes, immediate reporting is required by emailing us. Please note that the Prompt Payment Act statute requires Federal agencies to pay invoices in a timely manner. Interest penalties caused by COR delay are paid with client agency funding.
• Notify IBC's Acquisition Services when the primary COR will be absent for more than 30 days and require the designated alternate COR approve invoices when the primary COR is temporarily out of the office. The IBC contracting officer may replace the appointed COR at their discretion.
• As a Receiving Officer or FAC certified COR, part of that duty could encompass being an Assessing Official Representative within CPARS responsible for assessing the contractor’s performance. As of October 1, 2010, use of CPARS became mandatory in DOI for all actions estimated to be greater than the SAT for Supplies and Services. It is a system that has been used in DoD for years and the Naval Sea Logistics Center Detachment Portsmouth (NAVSEA) has system administration responsibilities.

FAC-COR Certificates expire after two years. To be recertified, appropriate refresher training must be completed and the FAC-COR certificate submitted to the Acquisition Services Directorate. It is imperative that sufficient time is provided to avoid any lapse in certification. Please note the following:

• IBC may elect to terminate a COR appointment if, during the performance period of a contract, the COR’s certification expires.
• IBC will terminate an appointment if the COR’s performance does not adequately protect the government’s best interests.
• The IBC contracting officer has the authority to revoke the COR appointment at any time.