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Supplying Principles and Practices > USPS Supplying Practices General Practices
USPS Supplying Practices General
Practices
Contracting officers (COs) are appointed by the VP, SM, and by individuals
delegated appointment authority. Appointees to the position of CO levels
I through IV must be career employees in good standing and must meet the
qualifications for the particular level (see below). Generally, contracting
authorities are grouped by contracting officer level. There are four general
levels of contracting officer:
• Level I contracting officers. Generally, these contracting officers
are delegated up to $100,000 of contracting authority, and up to
the maximum limit for orders placed against indefinite delivery
contracts and ordering agreements.
• Level II contracting officers. Generally, these contracting officers
are delegated up to $1 million of contracting authority, and up to
the maximum limit for orders placed against indefinite delivery
contracts and ordering agreements.
• Level III contracting officers. Generally, these contracting officers
are delegated up to $10 million of contracting authority, and up to
the maximum limit for orders placed against indefinite delivery
contracts and ordering agreements.
• Level IV contracting officers. Level IV contracting officers are
delegated unlimited contracting authority.
Effective July 30, 2007, all individuals nominated to be contracting officers
must have baccalaureate degrees. The individual nominated must have
earned at least 24 semester hours in subjects related to purchasing, such as
accounting, business finance, commercial (business) law, economics,
quantitative analysis, marketing, contracting or purchasing, organization, or
management. The required 24 semester hours may have been earned during
the individual's pursuit of a baccalaureate degree, or at any other time.
Individuals who do not have a baccalaureate degree and were appointed to
Contracting Officer Level I before July 30, 2007, may retain their
appointment, subject to the Continuing Professionalism requirements
discussed below.
Although professional certification is not a mandatory qualification factor for
CO appointment, appointment authorities should consider it when
determining whether an individual should be appointed and to which level he
or she should be appointed. The professional certifications offered by the
Institute for Supply Management and the National Contract Management
Association are the only certifications which appointment authorities should
consider when making this determination. Information on these certifications
is available at www.ism.ws/certification and www.ncmahq.org/certification.
Appointment to a particular contracting officer level requires progressively
more exacting qualifications. In addition, the following qualifications apply to
contracting officers appointed by the VP, SM:
1. Contracting Officer Level I:
a. Experience: One year of experience performing substantive
purchasing tasks.
b. Training: Satisfactory completion of 32 hours of formal training in
each of the following subjects:
(1) Fundamentals of Supply Management.
(2) Contracting Methods and Principles.
If the contracting officer will be delegated purchasing authority for
design and construction purchases, the following Postal Service
training course is also required:
(3) Introduction to Facilities R&A Contracting (this course is
available at the Postal Service's Center for Leadership
Development).
Note: The formal training may be obtained through an accredited
college or university, a federally sponsored program, a nationally
recognized training organization, or a supply management-related
professional association or organization.
2. Contracting Officer Level II:
a. Experience: Three years of current, progressively complex and
responsible experience in performing competitive and
noncompetitive purchasing (not including simplified purchasing).
Generally, this experience must have been gained in intermediate
level contracting positions.
b. Training: In addition to the training requirements for a Level I CO,
satisfactory completion of 32 hours of formal training in each of
the following subjects:
(1) Negotiation Strategies.
(2) Total Cost of Ownership/Cost and Price Analysis.
(3) Contract Management/Administration.
(4) Project Management.
(5) Contract Law.
If the contracting officer will be delegated purchasing authority for
design and construction purchases, the following Postal Service
training course is also required:
(6) Contract Administration, Pricing, and Claims (this course is
available at the Postal Service's Center for Leadership
Development).
Note: The formal training may be obtained through an accredited
college or university, a federally sponsored program, a nationally
recognized training organization, or a supply management-related
professional association or organization.
c. Contracting Officer Level III:
(1) Experience: Five years of current, progressively complex
and responsible experience in soliciting, negotiating,
awarding, and administering competitive and
noncompetitive purchasing actions. Ordinarily, this
experience must have been in higher-level purchasing
positions.
(2) Training: In addition to the training requirement for Levels I
and II CO, satisfactory completion of 32 hours of formal
training in Purchasing/Supply Management Advanced
Strategic Issues.
Note: The formal training may be obtained through an accredited
college or university, a federally sponsored program, a nationally
recognized training organization, or a supply management-related
professional association or organization.
d. Contracting Officer Level IV. The holders of the following positions
are Level IV contracting officers:
(1) Manager, Facilities Portfolio.
(2) Manager, Mail Equipment Portfolio.
(3) Manager, Services Portfolio.
(4) Manager, Supplies Portfolio.
(5) Manager, Transportation Portfolio.
Waivers. Waivers to the qualification requirements may be requested for
individuals who, due to their extraordinary experience or extraordinary
circumstances, should be granted contracting officer authority. Requests
must be submitted through organizational levels to the VP, SM.
Interim Appointments. Ordinarily, individuals will not be appointed as
contracting officers if they do not meet the relevant qualification criteria.
However, when necessary, appointing officials may grant an interim
appointment to an individual who has not yet completed necessary training or
education. No interim appointment may exceed one year, and no interim
appointment may be granted to an individual more than once if the individual
fails to complete the required training or education.
All contracting officer appointments, regardless of level, must be reviewed
annually by the appointing official in order to ascertain that the contracting
officer has maintained professional proficiency and otherwise remains
qualified. Therefore, contracting officers must:
1. Attend 21 hours of formal purchasing training covering such areas as
new requirements, techniques, or policies and procedures brought
about by changes in statutes, regulations, business research, or
evaluations of postal purchasing practices.
2. Maintain their professionalism through (a) attendance at seminars,
conferences, meetings, or other professional activities and
(b) performing coursework in contracting and purchasing
commensurate with their CO level and responsibilities. The appointing
official will determine whether a particular CO's efforts in these areas
meet the professional development requirements.
3. Sustain and expand their knowledge of the purchasing field through
reading professional literature.
Termination of a contracting officer appointment may be made by an
appointing authority or by the VP, SM. Terminations may be made for reasons
such as reassignment, termination of employment, or unsatisfactory
performance. The termination must indicate the effective date of termination.
Termination of employment automatically terminates a contracting officer's
appointment. Terminations may not be made retroactively.
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