1.603-3  Appointment.

(S-90)  Unlimited appointments.

(1)  A candidate seeking an unlimited contracting officer appointment must successfully complete a DISA contracting officer appointment test (see DARS 1.603-3(S-91)) prior to interviewing with a contracting officer appointment review board. If the unlimited candidate previously successfully completed a contracting officer appointment test in obtaining a DISA limited contracting officer appointment, the candidate does not have to re-test.

(2)  An unlimited contracting officer appointment study guide, that includes four sample scenario-based questions, is located at: https://www.ditco.disa.mil/DitcoContractingTemplates/doku.php?id=disa_contracting_officer_appointment_information.

(3)  A formal contracting officer appointment review board shall be convened to determine if the candidate is qualified for appointment as a contracting officer with an unlimited appointment. The review board will be chaired by either the PLD Director or the PLD Deputy Director. In addition to the review board chairperson, the review board shall also include:

(i)  Non-sponsoring HCO

(ii)  General Counsel representative

(iii)  Chief, Policy, Quality Assurance and Procedures Division (PL2)  

(iv)  Senior Cost/Price Analyst

(v)  CFE representative

Additional board members (e.g., senior contracting officers, program management) may also be included at the discretion of the review board chairperson.

(4)  The contracting officer appointment review board may discuss the qualifications of the candidate with the HCO prior to formally convening the review board. The candidate should ensure her/his qualifications are summarized in the DISA Application for Contracting Officer Warrant.

(5)  The contracting officer appointment review board may be conducted either face-to-face or via VTC at the discretion of the review board chairperson. The maximum amount of time for the entire review board to convene is three hours.

(6)  The contracting officer appointment review board process includes:

(i)  The candidate will orally summarize his/her qualifications.

(ii)  The candidate will orally provide his/her justification for an unlimited warrant.

(iii)  The Review Board Chair will present the candidate with up to six written scenario-based questions, with at least one from each of these acquisition topics:

(A)  Pre-award

(B)  Source Selection

(C)  Cost & Pricing

(D)  Contract Administration (including terminations)

(iv)  Prior to meeting with the Board members, the candidate will be provided with a copy of the questions and will be given fifteen minutes to assemble his/her thoughts. Only pen and paper will be provided, (no open book, no computer access, no notes, etc.).

(v)  The candidate will orally discuss in-depth and individually answer the scenario-based questions. The candidate is expected to demonstrate her/his acquisition knowledge by articulating logic and facts associated with the scenario-based questions. The candidate is expected to sustain his/her responses by providing supporting information from the FAR, DFARS, DARS and other acquisition policies, procedures and regulations.

(vi)  After the candidate responds to all of the scenario-based questions presented by the Board, the candidate will be temporarily dismissed. The Board members will vote, without the candidate present, to determine if the candidate is qualified to be issued an unlimited warrant. The final decision will be determined by the Board Chairperson and relayed to the candidate as the final portion of the Board process.

(vii)  If the review board concludes the candidate is qualified, he/she will be notified that an unlimited warrant will be immediately processed.

(viii)  If the review board concludes the candidate is not qualified for an unlimited warrant, the Chairperson will provide the candidate and their HCO with constructive feedback. This feedback will facilitate the candidate in preparing to re-interview at a later date. Candidates may re-interview after 60 calendar days. The HCA may waive the 60 day requirement.

(S-91)  Limited appointments.

(1)  Candidates for limited contracting officer appointments shall be required to successfully complete a time limited, proctored examination to assess contracting knowledge and research ability. CMCA and FTS 2001/Networx contracting officer appointments are exempt from the testing requirements. In addition, a contracting officer with a limited appointment who has previously successfully completed the DISA contracting officer appointment test does not have to retest to qualify for an increased limited appointment. However, a contracting officer with a limited appointment who has not previously passed a DISA contracting officer appointment test is required to pass the test to qualify for an increased limited appointment.

(2)  The contracting officer appointment test is open-book/open-computer with access to the FAR, DFARS and DARS, but assistance by another individual or group is not permitted. The candidate may use formally published contracting materials, but shall not use informal training material or notes. The candidate shall be given a four hour period. A candidate must score an 85% (68 points out of 80 possible points) or better to pass the test. A passing score does not guarantee a contracting officer appointment.

(3)  Each test shall be comprised of 40 true-false and multiple-choice questions pertaining to the FAR, DFARS, and DARS. The study guides and mock tests are located at https://www.ditco.disa.mil/DitcoContractingTemplates/doku.php?id=disa_contracting_officer_appointment_information. The remaining 10 questions will be from specific sections of the FAR, DFARS, or DARS as dictated by the type of the contracting officer appointment.

(4)  Test final scores shall be provided to the candidate, the candidate's immediate supervisor, the HCO and the HCA.

(5)  On a case-by-case basis, the HCA may allow accommodations for special needs employees to include relaxation of the four hour time limit to complete the test, or accommodations for employees with visual or mobility issues, or those requiring voice-assisted software, etc.

(6)  If the candidate correctly answers both the question and the reference indicating where the candidate found the answer, then the candidate shall be granted two points. If the candidate answers the question correctly, but answers the reference incorrectly, the candidate shall be granted one point. If the candidate answers the question incorrectly, but answers the reference correctly, the candidate shall not be granted any points. In this last scenario, an incorrect answer but where the candidate correctly answered the reference demonstrates the candidate did not understand the regulation and, therefore, shall not be granted any points. The following illustrates the scoring methodology:

References shall be provided to the lowest possible level as illustrated below. Subdivisions below the paragraph level (e.g. FAR 15.403-1(c)(1)(i)(A) ) are acceptable, but are not required.

(7)  PL23 shall be responsible for maintenance of test questions. Test questions residing within the test question database shall be maintained by PL23, including addition/deletion of questions and modifications to existing questions and/or references as dictated by publication of new policy.

(8)  Each HCO shall appoint a test administrator to schedule and proctor the test. The contracting officer appointment test shall remain in the possession of the test administrator who is accountable and responsible for ensuring the test remains secure, so as not to invalidate the contracting officer appointment testing process/program. Candidates are prohibited from duplicating or discussing the questions with others, so as not to compromise the integrity of the testing process.

(9)  The test administrator is responsible for scoring and validating test results, manually adjusting the test score, as appropriate, and identifying to PL23 when test question/database maintenance is required. The candidate may dispute the accuracy of the test questions and/or reference to the test administrator. If the test question or reference was in error, the test administrator shall manually adjust the test score.

(10)  Candidates may retake the test a second time as early as the next scheduled test. Candidates who do not pass after two attempts may retest after 60 days. The HCA may waive the retesting time.

(11)  Upon successful completion of the test, the HCO will provide the HCA and PL23 with the test results and the HCO will request the HCA approve the contracting officer appointment request and sign the SF 1402.

(S-92)  Changed appointments.

(1)  A changed appointment is an appointment revised to reflect new information on the SF 1402. Such changes may be accomplished at any time based upon the request of an HCO, or if directed by the HCA. A change to an appointment may either be fundamental or administrative in nature. A "fundamental" change represents a change to the scope of the contracting officer's responsibility and authority as reflected by a change to the limitations presented on the SF 1402. Any other change shall normally be viewed as an "administrative" change. Examples of administrative changes are those that correct any wording on the SF 1402 (e.g., a name change) without changing the force and effect of the appointment.

(i)  A fundamental change to an appointment shall be viewed and processed as a new appointment concurrent with termination of the existing appointment. All documentation required to support a new appointment is required to support a fundamental change to an existing appointment.

(ii)  Upon written request of an HCO to PL23, an administrative change may be accomplished to an existing appointment via simplified procedures tailored to fit the specific need. All administrative changes to an SF 1402 will require termination of the existing appointment and approval and issuance of a new SF 1402 by the HCA.

(S-93)  Presentation of certificates of appointment. The HCA approves all requests for appointment, termination, and reissuance and signs all contracting officer appointment certificates. The HCA, or designee, shall meet with each newly appointed contracting officer. This meeting shall emphasize the duties inherent with a contracting officer appointment, including fiduciary and ethical responsibilities. The HCA shall provide the new contracting officer clear instructions regarding the limits of their authority.

(S-94)  Administration of appointments.

(1)  Each SF 1402 will be sequentially numbered by calendar year. PL23 will maintain the master contracting officer records (e.g., Applications for Appointment as a Contracting Officer, test results, contracting officer appointment board review results and copies of SF 1402s) to document the candidate meets the required training, education, and experience requirements.

(2)  PL23 will maintain an electronic contracting officer database on the DITCO Intranet web site and validate the accuracy of the database information at least annually.

(3)  Contracting officers must ensure the original SF 1402 is prominently displayed in the immediate work area. The SF 1402 will be made available to company/contractor representatives for viewing upon request.