1
CONTRACTING OFFICER WARRANT BOARD
EXAM NEWEST VERSION 2025 WITH
COMPLETE QUESTIONS AND SOLUTION 100%
VERIFIED ANSWERS A+ GRADED FREE
You are the Contracting Officer for a follow-on buy source selection. The current effort has
had the same Program Manager for over 10 years. She began as the PM while still a Military
Officer and then retired and was re-hired as an A&AS employee to continue to manage the
program. She has extensive experience on the program and is considered a Primary "Go To"
person for all Program-related managerial issues.
The Program Director wants to utilize the PM's experience to the fullest extent possible and
has proposed that the PM be listed as chief of the technical evaluation team and also a voting
member of the source selection board.
Is it permissible to have a non-Government employee (A&AS contractor) as chief of the
technical evaluation team and a voting member of the source selection board?
- ANS :It is not permissible to have a non-Government employee as a voting member of any
source selection board. FAR 7.503(c)(12)(ii). FAR policy states that contracts shall not be used
for the performance of inherently governmental functions. OMB may review Agency decisions
to determine whether a function is or is not an inherently governmental function, but a list of
examples is in FAR 7.503(c). They include: control of criminal investigations or prosecutions,
command of military forces, determination of agency policy and application of regulations,
determining budget priorities, and direction and control of federal employees. Specifically,
included in this list are determining what supplies or services shall be acquired by the
Government on a prime contract and being a voting member of any source selection boards
1|Page
, 2
You have a contract for engineering services with a basic period of performance and several
one year options for continued performance. The contract states that all options must be
exercised by 1 October of each year. The basic period of performance has just expired and on
5 October you realize that you never exercised the option for continued performance. There
is still an immediate need for the services. How would you try to rectify this situation? –
ANS :Once the option has expired there is no contract. You may have to prepare a J&A
(depending on your original authorizations) and enter into a bilateral agreement with the
contractor to obtain continued performance by the same contractor. The contractor is
entitled to renegotiate the price.
The end of the fiscal year 10 is coming up and you get a phone call from HQ telling you that
several million dollars just became available - they don't want the money to go to waste and
want to give it to you to support your requirements. Your Program Director urges you to use
the money to buy spare parts for his aircraft which have been operating 24/7 since "the war"
began. The Program Director has estimated the funds will by enough replenishment spares
for the remainder of the war. Do you have any concerns? –
ANS :You have two major concerns. First, you have to ask HQ the color of money and year of
the funds they want to send you. Do not assume that they are sending you FY10 O&M funds.
If they are sending you FY10 O&M funds you can use the funds for "operations and
maintenance' but you will have to obligate the money before the end of the fiscal year closes
out.
Once you have determined the kind and year of money, you can address the Program
Director's request. Since the Program Director is asking you to buy replenishment spares, you
can use the money to buy these spares assuming the Program Director can show you a bona
fide need for the spares. This means you can buy sufficient spares for a current need (which
includes a reasonable inventory) but you cannot stockpile. Even if the contractor cannot
deliver the spares in FY10, you still have a bona fide need of FY10 if the contractor can deliver
the spares in a "reasonable" time.
2|Page
, 3
Here the Program Director appears to want you to buy spares sufficient to satisfy his needs
for the entire war, a sure indication of his intent to stockpile. You will have to go back to the
program director to find out the spares he can actually put on an aircraft right now plus find
out what a reasonable inventory is for his program. You cannot use current O&M funds to
satisfy a "future" need since that violates the bona fide needs rule.
Please define a Certificate of Current Cost or Pricing Data and its purpose. What are some of
the key things you would expect to see or review before accepting the certificate? There are
several exceptions to obtaining a Certificate - please list some of them. –
ANS :The definition is as follows: A Certificate of Current Cost or Pricing Data certifies that to
the best of the company's knowledge, the cost or pricing data submitted were accurate,
complete, and current as of the date of agreement on price or, if applicable, an earlier date
agreed upon between the parties that is as close as practicable to the date of agreement on
price. The purpose is to have the company commit as to the accuracy, completeness, and
currency of submitted data. If the data is later found to be incorrect or appropriate data was
not submitted, the government reserves the right to a downward contract price adjustment
for any monetary damages incurred.
Key things we would expect to see or review in a Certificate are:
The certificate is in the format shown in FAR 15.406-2
Current as of the date of agreement on price or an earlier agreed upon date
Signed by an authorized representative of the company and dated as close as practicable to
the date when price negotiations were concluded
Check for qualifications or new information disclosed by the sweep and evaluate its impact
on the negotiated price
Exceptions:
Adequate Price Competition
3|Page
, 4
Prices set by law or regulation
Commercial Item
Waiver has been granted
Modifying a contract or subcontract for commercial items
What is the requirement for obligating funds when awarding indefinite-quantity contracts? –
ANS :(1) For indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contracts all supplies and services to
be furnished shall be obtained via delivery orders(s) or task order(s) issued by individuals
designated in the contract.
(2) Upon execution of the contract, an obligation shall be recorded based upon the issuance
of a delivery or task order for the cost/price of the minimum quantity specified. Obtaining a
certification of availability of funding from the finance office does not satisfy the requirement
to record an obligation in the official accounting records of the Government for the minimum
order amount established by the award of an IDIQ contract. The Government's actual
obligation must be recorded at the time of contract award. Recording and subsequently
reporting the required obligation using anything other than a delivery or task order will result
in the action not being reported in FPDS-NG. the Recording of Obligations Act is implemented
in the DoD Financial Management Regulation (FMR) (DoD 7000.14-R - see paragraph 080504
of the FMR). The Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) is responsible for recording
contractual obligations in the Air Force accounting records.
In regards to the availability and life cycle of funds, explain the meaning of the terms
"current", "expired" and "cancelled". For what purposes can each of the three phases of
funds be used? How many years does the current status last for construction (3300) funds,
procurement (3010) funds, for R&D (3600) funds, and for O&M (3400) funds?
- ANS :Current - The funds are available for obligation. This stage is primarily for obligating or
placing funds on contract for a specific purpose. The "current" phase lasts five years for
4|Page
CONTRACTING OFFICER WARRANT BOARD
EXAM NEWEST VERSION 2025 WITH
COMPLETE QUESTIONS AND SOLUTION 100%
VERIFIED ANSWERS A+ GRADED FREE
You are the Contracting Officer for a follow-on buy source selection. The current effort has
had the same Program Manager for over 10 years. She began as the PM while still a Military
Officer and then retired and was re-hired as an A&AS employee to continue to manage the
program. She has extensive experience on the program and is considered a Primary "Go To"
person for all Program-related managerial issues.
The Program Director wants to utilize the PM's experience to the fullest extent possible and
has proposed that the PM be listed as chief of the technical evaluation team and also a voting
member of the source selection board.
Is it permissible to have a non-Government employee (A&AS contractor) as chief of the
technical evaluation team and a voting member of the source selection board?
- ANS :It is not permissible to have a non-Government employee as a voting member of any
source selection board. FAR 7.503(c)(12)(ii). FAR policy states that contracts shall not be used
for the performance of inherently governmental functions. OMB may review Agency decisions
to determine whether a function is or is not an inherently governmental function, but a list of
examples is in FAR 7.503(c). They include: control of criminal investigations or prosecutions,
command of military forces, determination of agency policy and application of regulations,
determining budget priorities, and direction and control of federal employees. Specifically,
included in this list are determining what supplies or services shall be acquired by the
Government on a prime contract and being a voting member of any source selection boards
1|Page
, 2
You have a contract for engineering services with a basic period of performance and several
one year options for continued performance. The contract states that all options must be
exercised by 1 October of each year. The basic period of performance has just expired and on
5 October you realize that you never exercised the option for continued performance. There
is still an immediate need for the services. How would you try to rectify this situation? –
ANS :Once the option has expired there is no contract. You may have to prepare a J&A
(depending on your original authorizations) and enter into a bilateral agreement with the
contractor to obtain continued performance by the same contractor. The contractor is
entitled to renegotiate the price.
The end of the fiscal year 10 is coming up and you get a phone call from HQ telling you that
several million dollars just became available - they don't want the money to go to waste and
want to give it to you to support your requirements. Your Program Director urges you to use
the money to buy spare parts for his aircraft which have been operating 24/7 since "the war"
began. The Program Director has estimated the funds will by enough replenishment spares
for the remainder of the war. Do you have any concerns? –
ANS :You have two major concerns. First, you have to ask HQ the color of money and year of
the funds they want to send you. Do not assume that they are sending you FY10 O&M funds.
If they are sending you FY10 O&M funds you can use the funds for "operations and
maintenance' but you will have to obligate the money before the end of the fiscal year closes
out.
Once you have determined the kind and year of money, you can address the Program
Director's request. Since the Program Director is asking you to buy replenishment spares, you
can use the money to buy these spares assuming the Program Director can show you a bona
fide need for the spares. This means you can buy sufficient spares for a current need (which
includes a reasonable inventory) but you cannot stockpile. Even if the contractor cannot
deliver the spares in FY10, you still have a bona fide need of FY10 if the contractor can deliver
the spares in a "reasonable" time.
2|Page
, 3
Here the Program Director appears to want you to buy spares sufficient to satisfy his needs
for the entire war, a sure indication of his intent to stockpile. You will have to go back to the
program director to find out the spares he can actually put on an aircraft right now plus find
out what a reasonable inventory is for his program. You cannot use current O&M funds to
satisfy a "future" need since that violates the bona fide needs rule.
Please define a Certificate of Current Cost or Pricing Data and its purpose. What are some of
the key things you would expect to see or review before accepting the certificate? There are
several exceptions to obtaining a Certificate - please list some of them. –
ANS :The definition is as follows: A Certificate of Current Cost or Pricing Data certifies that to
the best of the company's knowledge, the cost or pricing data submitted were accurate,
complete, and current as of the date of agreement on price or, if applicable, an earlier date
agreed upon between the parties that is as close as practicable to the date of agreement on
price. The purpose is to have the company commit as to the accuracy, completeness, and
currency of submitted data. If the data is later found to be incorrect or appropriate data was
not submitted, the government reserves the right to a downward contract price adjustment
for any monetary damages incurred.
Key things we would expect to see or review in a Certificate are:
The certificate is in the format shown in FAR 15.406-2
Current as of the date of agreement on price or an earlier agreed upon date
Signed by an authorized representative of the company and dated as close as practicable to
the date when price negotiations were concluded
Check for qualifications or new information disclosed by the sweep and evaluate its impact
on the negotiated price
Exceptions:
Adequate Price Competition
3|Page
, 4
Prices set by law or regulation
Commercial Item
Waiver has been granted
Modifying a contract or subcontract for commercial items
What is the requirement for obligating funds when awarding indefinite-quantity contracts? –
ANS :(1) For indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contracts all supplies and services to
be furnished shall be obtained via delivery orders(s) or task order(s) issued by individuals
designated in the contract.
(2) Upon execution of the contract, an obligation shall be recorded based upon the issuance
of a delivery or task order for the cost/price of the minimum quantity specified. Obtaining a
certification of availability of funding from the finance office does not satisfy the requirement
to record an obligation in the official accounting records of the Government for the minimum
order amount established by the award of an IDIQ contract. The Government's actual
obligation must be recorded at the time of contract award. Recording and subsequently
reporting the required obligation using anything other than a delivery or task order will result
in the action not being reported in FPDS-NG. the Recording of Obligations Act is implemented
in the DoD Financial Management Regulation (FMR) (DoD 7000.14-R - see paragraph 080504
of the FMR). The Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) is responsible for recording
contractual obligations in the Air Force accounting records.
In regards to the availability and life cycle of funds, explain the meaning of the terms
"current", "expired" and "cancelled". For what purposes can each of the three phases of
funds be used? How many years does the current status last for construction (3300) funds,
procurement (3010) funds, for R&D (3600) funds, and for O&M (3400) funds?
- ANS :Current - The funds are available for obligation. This stage is primarily for obligating or
placing funds on contract for a specific purpose. The "current" phase lasts five years for
4|Page
