Duties

• A contracting officer prepares bids, creates specifications for requests for proposals from vendors and gathers bidding information on requests. The officer negotiates contracts with a vendor or bidder and clarifies contract stipulations concerning the bid. The officer also has the authority to approve extensions or amendments to bids and contracts. The contracting officer can also authorize direct purchases without any request for proposal for a certain dollar amount.
  
  

Features and Job Functions

• A contracting officer communicates to vendors via phone, email or written correspondence. He may also compile procurement figures for end of the month sales meetings and explain certain statistical information to management. If the officer has internal clients within their organization, the contracting officer works with the client to provide purchase requisitions concerning goods and services required for a project or work order package. The officer has the responsibility to obtain the best pricing, quality and service from vendors and suppliers.
  
  

Required Skills

• To obtain a position as a contracting officer representative, an individual must have excellent people skills, experience in accounting and bookkeeping, and knowledge of computer applications used in the field of procurement and purchasing. For example, end of month sales reports can be processed using a combination of spreadsheet and presentation software. The officer must know how to use these tools to explain data to fellow employees and management. Skills as a sales representative, buyer or purchasing clerk help tremendously in this career field.
  
  

Work Environment

• The work environment for a contracting officer representative is fast paced. It can resemble the floor of a Wall Street trading company with phones constantly ringing, communicating with fellow co-workers, conducting research on pricing goods and services, all at the same time. An individual must be able to concentrate in this type of environment. The position is usually a 40-hour work week position.
  
  

Education and Salary

• There is an industry certification which can be obtained to help secure a position as a contracting officer representative. The Certified Procurement Professional (CCP) is available through the National Purchasing Institute. The certification is awarded upon completion of designated courses with a written examination. According to Payscale.com, as of May 2010, the average median income for a contracting officer representative with 1 to 4 years of experience is between the ranges of $35,542 to $48,218.