Federal glossary · Process
The Contracting Officer (CO/KO) is the only person with legal authority to bind the government in contracts. Can award, modify, and terminate contracts. Do NOT take direction from anyone else on contract matters.
Example: Respond to an RFI, RFP, or Sources Sought notice.
Reference record · Sources: Federal Acquisition Regulation · Verified Jul 2, 2026 · Covers definition, governing source
The Contracting Officer
Also known as
The Contracting Officer (CO/KO) is the only person with legal authority to bind the government in contracts. Can award, modify, and terminate contracts. Do NOT take direction from anyone else on contract matters.
(The Contracting Officer) is a process concept federal contractors and grant writers run into across solicitations, regulations, and award filings
Contracting Officer is a step or workflow in the federal-procurement lifecycle. For example: Example: Respond to an RFI, RFP, or Sources Sought notice. Knowing where Contracting Officer fits in the larger acquisition arc — from market research through award through performance — helps contractors time their engagement, identify the right contracting officials, and avoid showing up too late to influence the requirement. Many proposal failures trace back to misunderstanding when Contracting Officer occurs, who owns it, and what artifacts it produces. The related terms above name the adjacent process steps that most commonly precede or follow Contracting Officer, and tracking those transitions over time is one of the more reliable ways to build pipeline visibility ahead of formal solicitations.
Example: Respond to an RFI, RFP, or Sources Sought notice.
Meaning in practice
Contracting Officer is a step in a government workflow or procurement lifecycle.
Where you’ll see it
You will see it in NOFOs, solicitations, evaluation sections, award letters, and procedural instructions. Example: Example: Respond to an RFI, RFP, or Sources Sought notice..
Common confusion
People often confuse the document that describes the process with the process itself.
What to do next
Identify the deadline, owner, and artifacts the process produces before you move forward.
Get notified when usage of Contracting Officer changes in contracts or guidance.
Search active federal contracts and solicitations related to Contracting Officer on Bureauify.
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