Contingency contracting officers: can they adequately support the force?

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the training Army Contingency Contracting Officers (CCOs) receive from their units while they are not deployed, prepares them to accomplish their mission during contingency deployments. This was accomplished by examining previous contingency operations for problem areas and determining whether the current CCO training program is correcting these problem areas. The issues were: garrison duties vs. duties on deployment, the experience level of CCOS, training planning, and assistance available to CCOs during deployments. The results of this study indicate the Army needs to re-examine the following areas: contracting experience of officers assigned as CCOS, contingency contracting guidance, specific duties of the CCO, training of Unit Ordering Officers, and the feasibility of the overall contingency contracting plan. This study recommends: using Non-Commissioned Officers as CCOS, providing firm guidance for contingency contracting, involving CCOs during early planning, and studying the size of the contracting element.