What does a contracting officer do?
In government agencies, a Contracting Officer plays a vital role in securing contracts for different projects. They are responsible for liaising with internal and external parties, conducting research and analyses, developing plans to attain project requirements, negotiating contracts, and procuring materials according to standards. They are also responsible for supervising the administrative processes related to the deals, from planning to execution, ensuring that everything runs smoothly and efficiently. Moreover, it is essential to function as a contracting officer while adhering to government policies and regulations.
Contracting officer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real contracting officer resumes:
- Compile RFQ's, internet research, and manage officers.
- Manage the RFQ and RFP solicitation process with campus departments to ensure legal and ethical compliance with state statutes.
- Analyze requirements' effects on budget and formulate alternative logistics plans when operations or requirements change to accomplish unit's mission.
- Perform market analysis of government agencies utilizing and not utilizing GSA travel services to capture undeveloped market.
- Implement GSA assist acquisition service to provide task order support for federal agencies procuring ETS2 master contract.
- Resolve day to day issues between personnel, contracting companies, base operations, government personnel and the DoD.
- Solicit, award and administer federal construction/renovation, services and commodities contracts and purchase orders.
- Travele extensively to contractor facilities in administration of contracts to provide negotiations and maintain oversight of DOD suppliers.
- Forward freight information to clients and suppliers utilizing electronic logistics, transportation management, and electronic freight information systems.
- Analyze requirements' effects on budget and formulate alternative logistics plans when operations or requirements change to accomplish unit's mission.
- Provide solutions to problems of unusual complexity which require a high degree of ingenuity creativity and innovation to support customer missions.
Contracting officer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 8% of Contracting Officers are proficient in Contractor Proposals, Contract Administration, and Contract Management.
We break down the percentage of Contracting Officers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Contractor Proposals, 8%
Analyzed contractor proposals to determine reasonableness, allow ability, and allocation ability of costs.
- Contract Administration, 7%
Performed contract administration functions associated with review of existing contract Task Orders and determine compliance with existing contract terms and conditions.
- Contract Management, 5%
Conducted contract management and oversight duties to include collecting audits/distributing and maintaining CMO Contract Management Tracking Spreadsheets and Electronic COR files.
- Contract Terms, 5%
Prepared documentation and executed processes for commercial item contract terminations (Termination for Convenience and Termination for Cause).
- Market Research, 4%
Conducted market research, negotiation position development based upon cost/price evaluations and DCAA reporting; source selection and acquisition planning.
- Technical Assistance, 4%
Provided technical assistance to medical staff identifying codes that would yield information desired and suggested appropriate avenues of exploration.
"contractor proposals," "contract administration," and "contract management" are among the most common skills that contracting officers use at work. You can find even more contracting officer responsibilities below, including:
The three companies that hire the most contracting officers are:
- Bank of America8 contracting officers jobs
- Columbia University in the City of New York4 contracting officers jobs
- RTI International Metals3 contracting officers jobs
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Contracting officer vs. Senior specialist
A senior specialist is a financial professional responsible for assisting senior citizens in managing their economic activities. Senior specialists must manage a portfolio of investors to ensure that foreclosed properties are ready for title transfer and monetary reimbursements. To reach compliance goals, senior specialists must provide staff training on Microsoft Office suite and other software applications. They also handle customer complaints through phone or email and provide their customer with the proper solution.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between contracting officers and senior specialist. For instance, contracting officer responsibilities require skills such as "contractor proposals," "contract administration," "contract management," and "contract terms." Whereas a senior specialist is skilled in "customer service," "patients," "sr," and "java." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Senior specialists really shine in the pharmaceutical industry with an average salary of $114,721. Comparatively, contracting officers tend to make the most money in the government industry with an average salary of $82,685.On average, senior specialists reach lower levels of education than contracting officers. Senior specialists are 6.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 1.5% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Contracting officer vs. Operations specialist
An operations specialist is responsible for optimizing the business' daily operations, ensuring smooth process flow to provide the best services to clients. Operations specialists' duties include analyzing business procedures, identifying opportunities for business improvement, tracking the department's metrics and activities, providing assistance to colleagues, suggesting strategies for operations efficiency, and managing customer's inquiries and complaints. An operations specialist must be an excellent team player and detail-oriented, as well as proven time-management and decision-making skills to meet clients' needs and support the business' objectives.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real contracting officer resumes. While contracting officer responsibilities can utilize skills like "contractor proposals," "contract administration," "contract management," and "contract terms," operations specialists use skills like "customer service," "basic math," "powerpoint," and "customer satisfaction."
Operations specialists earn a lower average salary than contracting officers. But operations specialists earn the highest pay in the government industry, with an average salary of $65,446. Additionally, contracting officers earn the highest salaries in the government with average pay of $82,685 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Operations specialists tend to reach lower levels of education than contracting officers. In fact, they're 12.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Contracting officer vs. Quality specialist
Quality control senior scientists ensure that testing, materials, and laboratory equipment are up to standard. In the course of their career, they can expect to perform tests for the quality of manufacturing processes in order to ensure compliance with predetermined criteria, as well as ensuring that final products are safe for sale or distribution. This is a career that requires the skills of teamwork, communication, writing, and prioritization. Also, good attention to detail and some technical skills will be needed.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, contracting officers are more likely to have skills like "contractor proposals," "contract administration," "contract management," and "contract terms." But a quality specialist is more likely to have skills like "customer service," "data analysis," "continuous improvement," and "process improvement."
Quality specialists make a very good living in the government industry with an average annual salary of $64,103. On the other hand, contracting officers are paid the highest salary in the government industry, with average annual pay of $82,685.When it comes to education, quality specialists tend to earn lower degree levels compared to contracting officers. In fact, they're 8.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 2.7% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Contracting officer vs. Business development specialist
A business development specialist is an expert who determines opportunities for marketing strategy optimization and business growth. The specialists perform business process and financial analysis, effective network creation, and business plan implementation. Being a good business development specialist requires knowledge and experience in managing a business. The skillset for the position includes a strong command in English, information technology, attention to detail, and written and verbal communication.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between contracting officers and business development specialists, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a contracting officer might have more use for skills like "contractor proposals," "contract administration," "contract management," and "contract terms." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of business development specialists require skills like "work ethic," "crm," "strong work ethic," and "customer service. "
In general, business development specialists earn the most working in the finance industry, with an average salary of $63,094. The highest-paying industry for a contracting officer is the government industry.The average resume of business development specialists showed that they earn lower levels of education compared to contracting officers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 7.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 2.4%.Types of contracting officer
Updated January 8, 2025











