CORB Study Questions and Answers 2023 with complete
solution
The Source Selection Decision Document for a construction Request for Proposal has
just been signed and you now notice that the Davis-Bacon wage rate has just been
modified. The award has not yet been signed by the contracting officer. What do you
do?
You need to issue an amendment to all the offerors in the competitive range and
provide them an opportunity to revise their pricing. Wage rates need to be up-to-date as
of Day of Contract award for construction RFPs (FAR 22.404-6(c)).
You are the KO in a Source Selection and your higher leadership is now giving you
direction which you believe is contrary to your legal guidance. How do you handle and
what would you do?
Discuss with leadership the reasoning for going the other way; discuss leaderships
reasoning with legal; if still not sold, offer your reasoning for not agreeing with their
proposed approach (follow-up with an email); if leadership "requires" their approach to
be taken, have specialist work up contract in accordance with leadership approach;
request that leadership sign off on contract and all associated documents; NEVER
SIGN A CONTRACT YOU DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE SIGNING. MGT CANNOT
MAKE YOU SIGN ANYTHING YOU FEEL IS NOT RIGHT.
Explain the difference between an offeror's experience and an offeror's past
performance.
Should indicate that experience reflects WHAT an offeror has done (similar to a
resume) and past performance reflects HOW WELL the offeror performed the work
(similar to a performance appraisal).
A legally binding contract must contain what elements?
Must involve two or more parties that have the capacity to contract. Must show
agreement, including offer, acceptance, and mutual assent. Must show something of
value changing hands between the parties to a contract, or other inducement that leads
a person to make a promise. Must be for a legal purpose. Must be in the correct form.
Explain the "Bona Fide Needs" rule.
The Bona Fide Need rule (law) requires appropriated funds be used only for goods and
services for which a need arises during the period of that appropriation's availability for
obligation. The bona fide needs rule is a rule of appropriations law. It mandates that a
fiscal year's appropriations be obligated only to meet a legitimate-or bona fide-need
arising in (for sometimes before) the fiscal year for which the appropriation was made. It
restricts this year's appropriated funds from being used to fund next fiscal year's
requirements. For example, annual funds (such as operations and maintenance
funding) appropriated for fiscal year (FY) 2014 are to be used to fund legitimate or
genuine FY2014 needs and are not to be used to fund a need the agency won't actually
have until FY2015.
What is the order of precedence for a solicitation or contract in accordance with FAR
52.215-8? For example, the specifications require a different item than is stated in the
Schedule (Section B). What does the contractor use?
,Schedule (excluding specifications); representations and certifications; contract clauses;
other document, exhibits, and attachments; the specifications.
Once all receivables have been delivered/completed and verified by the customer/COR,
the ACO or KO reviews the contract files for remaining closeout actions. Why is contract
closeout so important? What actions need to be taken in closeout?
Extremely important because excess funds may need to be deobligated; in addition,
many types of contracts require the withholding of final payments, which can amount to
large sums of money for the Contractor (cash flow issue).
On a full and open competitive negotiated acquisition, you have received five proposals
and determined that discussions are needed, what is the process of determining which
offerors are in the competitive range for these discussions?
The Government evaluated proposals and determined which were the most highly rated
and eligible for inclusion in the competitive range relying on the merits of each offer. The
merits of each offer were determined on the basis of: (1) The quality of the technical
proposal based on the ratings of each proposal against all evaluation criteria. (2) The
proposed cost/prices. Those proposals not included in the competitive range will receive
no further consideration and will be notified of this in accordance with FAR Part 15.503.
If you have a competitive requirement, how will you determine the Best Value Approach
to use in regards to choosing LPTA or Tradeoff? Also, give at least one example when
each is appropriate.
...
How would you mentor a new Contract Specialist (recent intern graduate) that has been
assigned to your team? What tools would you provide to your specialist in
accomplishing their duties? What tools do you use in accomplishing your duties?
...
What is an unauthorized commitment? What steps do you take in evaluating,
processing and approving an unauthorized commitment?
An unauthorized commitment is means an agreement that is not binding solely because
the Government representative who made it lacked the authority to enter into that
agreement on behalf of the Government. The act of approving an unauthorized
commitment is called a ratification. Unauthorized commitments may be ratified only
when the conditions of FAR 1.602-3(c) are met. a) Use of appropriated funds, b)
Provided to or accepted by the Government - received a benefit, c) Ratification official
has the authority to ratify, d) Resulting contract must otherwise be proper, e) Price must
be fair & reasonable, f) Funds are available and were available at the time the action
occurred, g) The CO recommends payments, h) It is IAW other requirements and
limitations
What do you envision is the role of your CORs? When are you required to appoint one?
What authorities are you allowed to delegate to your COR? What authorities are not
delegable to the COR?
A Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) is an individual designated by the
Contracting Officer to act as their representative in the technical monitoring and
surveillance of a contract. These individuals serve as subject matter experts and
perform surveillance of a contract to insure that the goods and services obtained meet
the government's acceptance standards. A COR may be designated other
administration duties by the contracting officer. A COR should be nominated by the
, requirements official as early as practicable in the acquisition process. A COR assist in
the technical monitoring or administration of a contract. (A) Contracting officers shall
designate a COR for all service contracts, including both firm-fixed-price and other than
firm-fixed-price contracts, awarded by a DoD component or by any other Federal
agency on behalf of DoD. The surveillance activities performed by CORs should be
tailored to the dollar value/complexity of the specific contract for which they are
designated. The COR does not have the authority to take any action, either directly or
indirectly, that could change the price/cost or fee, quantity, quality, scope, delivery
schedule, labor mix or other terms and conditions of the contract and/or task order. Only
the contracting officer has the authority to make such changes. CORs do not have
contractual authority to issue directions or changes to any contract or purchase order
that affects price, quality, quantity, delivery, or any other aspect that will change the
terms and conditions of the contract. In cases where changes have been made by
unauthorized personnel, the Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO) must be immediately
notified. The PCO will then determine if the work performed was within the scope of the
original contract. If the work is determined to be outside the scope of the contract,
corrective action through the ratification process will be taken. CORs shall forward any
correspondence received from the contractor to the PCO. COR restrictions and
limitations include, but are not limited to the following: 1) COR authority may not be re-
delegated. 2) Only DoD military or DoD civilian personnel may be appointed as CORs.
Non-DoD personnel, including foreign nationals, shall not be appointed as CORs. 3)
The COR shall not make any agreement with the contractor requiring the obligation of
public funds. 4) The COR shall not sign any contract, including delivery orders,
purchase orders, nor modify a contract, or in a n way obligate funds for the
Government. 5) The COR shall not encourage the contractor by words, actions, or a
failure to act to undertake new work or an extension of existing work beyond the
contract period. 6) The COR shall not interfere with the contractor's management
prerogative by "supervising" contractor employees or otherwise directing their work
efforts. 7) The COR shall not authorize a contractor to obtain property for use under a
contract. 8) The COR shall not allow government-furnished property accountable under
one contract to be used in the performance of work under another contract. 9) The COR
shall not issue instructions to the contractor to start or stop work. 10) The COR shall not
order or accept goods or services not expressly required by the contract. 11) The COR
shall not discuss acquisition plans or provide any advance information that might give
one contractor an advantage over another contractor in future procurements.
Your contractor presents you with a request for equitable adjustment (claim). Describe
your process/steps that you will take in evaluating, processing and approving a claim?
First you should notify your attorney that you have received an Request for Equitable
Adjustment (REA). Then, you will need to determine whether the contractor's request
has any merit. If you determine that the request has merit, you may attempt to negotiate
a settlement with the contractor, involving your attorney as you deem necessary. If
negotiating with the contractor is difficult, and the involvement of your program counsel
has not helped, you may refer the case to legal for formal Alternative Dispute Resolution
(ADR). Formal ADR can be accomplished either before or after the issuance of a final
decision. If you determine that the REA is without merit, you may still attempt to discuss
the issues with the contractor prior to issuing the PCO's final decision. Once a stalemate
solution
The Source Selection Decision Document for a construction Request for Proposal has
just been signed and you now notice that the Davis-Bacon wage rate has just been
modified. The award has not yet been signed by the contracting officer. What do you
do?
You need to issue an amendment to all the offerors in the competitive range and
provide them an opportunity to revise their pricing. Wage rates need to be up-to-date as
of Day of Contract award for construction RFPs (FAR 22.404-6(c)).
You are the KO in a Source Selection and your higher leadership is now giving you
direction which you believe is contrary to your legal guidance. How do you handle and
what would you do?
Discuss with leadership the reasoning for going the other way; discuss leaderships
reasoning with legal; if still not sold, offer your reasoning for not agreeing with their
proposed approach (follow-up with an email); if leadership "requires" their approach to
be taken, have specialist work up contract in accordance with leadership approach;
request that leadership sign off on contract and all associated documents; NEVER
SIGN A CONTRACT YOU DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE SIGNING. MGT CANNOT
MAKE YOU SIGN ANYTHING YOU FEEL IS NOT RIGHT.
Explain the difference between an offeror's experience and an offeror's past
performance.
Should indicate that experience reflects WHAT an offeror has done (similar to a
resume) and past performance reflects HOW WELL the offeror performed the work
(similar to a performance appraisal).
A legally binding contract must contain what elements?
Must involve two or more parties that have the capacity to contract. Must show
agreement, including offer, acceptance, and mutual assent. Must show something of
value changing hands between the parties to a contract, or other inducement that leads
a person to make a promise. Must be for a legal purpose. Must be in the correct form.
Explain the "Bona Fide Needs" rule.
The Bona Fide Need rule (law) requires appropriated funds be used only for goods and
services for which a need arises during the period of that appropriation's availability for
obligation. The bona fide needs rule is a rule of appropriations law. It mandates that a
fiscal year's appropriations be obligated only to meet a legitimate-or bona fide-need
arising in (for sometimes before) the fiscal year for which the appropriation was made. It
restricts this year's appropriated funds from being used to fund next fiscal year's
requirements. For example, annual funds (such as operations and maintenance
funding) appropriated for fiscal year (FY) 2014 are to be used to fund legitimate or
genuine FY2014 needs and are not to be used to fund a need the agency won't actually
have until FY2015.
What is the order of precedence for a solicitation or contract in accordance with FAR
52.215-8? For example, the specifications require a different item than is stated in the
Schedule (Section B). What does the contractor use?
,Schedule (excluding specifications); representations and certifications; contract clauses;
other document, exhibits, and attachments; the specifications.
Once all receivables have been delivered/completed and verified by the customer/COR,
the ACO or KO reviews the contract files for remaining closeout actions. Why is contract
closeout so important? What actions need to be taken in closeout?
Extremely important because excess funds may need to be deobligated; in addition,
many types of contracts require the withholding of final payments, which can amount to
large sums of money for the Contractor (cash flow issue).
On a full and open competitive negotiated acquisition, you have received five proposals
and determined that discussions are needed, what is the process of determining which
offerors are in the competitive range for these discussions?
The Government evaluated proposals and determined which were the most highly rated
and eligible for inclusion in the competitive range relying on the merits of each offer. The
merits of each offer were determined on the basis of: (1) The quality of the technical
proposal based on the ratings of each proposal against all evaluation criteria. (2) The
proposed cost/prices. Those proposals not included in the competitive range will receive
no further consideration and will be notified of this in accordance with FAR Part 15.503.
If you have a competitive requirement, how will you determine the Best Value Approach
to use in regards to choosing LPTA or Tradeoff? Also, give at least one example when
each is appropriate.
...
How would you mentor a new Contract Specialist (recent intern graduate) that has been
assigned to your team? What tools would you provide to your specialist in
accomplishing their duties? What tools do you use in accomplishing your duties?
...
What is an unauthorized commitment? What steps do you take in evaluating,
processing and approving an unauthorized commitment?
An unauthorized commitment is means an agreement that is not binding solely because
the Government representative who made it lacked the authority to enter into that
agreement on behalf of the Government. The act of approving an unauthorized
commitment is called a ratification. Unauthorized commitments may be ratified only
when the conditions of FAR 1.602-3(c) are met. a) Use of appropriated funds, b)
Provided to or accepted by the Government - received a benefit, c) Ratification official
has the authority to ratify, d) Resulting contract must otherwise be proper, e) Price must
be fair & reasonable, f) Funds are available and were available at the time the action
occurred, g) The CO recommends payments, h) It is IAW other requirements and
limitations
What do you envision is the role of your CORs? When are you required to appoint one?
What authorities are you allowed to delegate to your COR? What authorities are not
delegable to the COR?
A Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) is an individual designated by the
Contracting Officer to act as their representative in the technical monitoring and
surveillance of a contract. These individuals serve as subject matter experts and
perform surveillance of a contract to insure that the goods and services obtained meet
the government's acceptance standards. A COR may be designated other
administration duties by the contracting officer. A COR should be nominated by the
, requirements official as early as practicable in the acquisition process. A COR assist in
the technical monitoring or administration of a contract. (A) Contracting officers shall
designate a COR for all service contracts, including both firm-fixed-price and other than
firm-fixed-price contracts, awarded by a DoD component or by any other Federal
agency on behalf of DoD. The surveillance activities performed by CORs should be
tailored to the dollar value/complexity of the specific contract for which they are
designated. The COR does not have the authority to take any action, either directly or
indirectly, that could change the price/cost or fee, quantity, quality, scope, delivery
schedule, labor mix or other terms and conditions of the contract and/or task order. Only
the contracting officer has the authority to make such changes. CORs do not have
contractual authority to issue directions or changes to any contract or purchase order
that affects price, quality, quantity, delivery, or any other aspect that will change the
terms and conditions of the contract. In cases where changes have been made by
unauthorized personnel, the Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO) must be immediately
notified. The PCO will then determine if the work performed was within the scope of the
original contract. If the work is determined to be outside the scope of the contract,
corrective action through the ratification process will be taken. CORs shall forward any
correspondence received from the contractor to the PCO. COR restrictions and
limitations include, but are not limited to the following: 1) COR authority may not be re-
delegated. 2) Only DoD military or DoD civilian personnel may be appointed as CORs.
Non-DoD personnel, including foreign nationals, shall not be appointed as CORs. 3)
The COR shall not make any agreement with the contractor requiring the obligation of
public funds. 4) The COR shall not sign any contract, including delivery orders,
purchase orders, nor modify a contract, or in a n way obligate funds for the
Government. 5) The COR shall not encourage the contractor by words, actions, or a
failure to act to undertake new work or an extension of existing work beyond the
contract period. 6) The COR shall not interfere with the contractor's management
prerogative by "supervising" contractor employees or otherwise directing their work
efforts. 7) The COR shall not authorize a contractor to obtain property for use under a
contract. 8) The COR shall not allow government-furnished property accountable under
one contract to be used in the performance of work under another contract. 9) The COR
shall not issue instructions to the contractor to start or stop work. 10) The COR shall not
order or accept goods or services not expressly required by the contract. 11) The COR
shall not discuss acquisition plans or provide any advance information that might give
one contractor an advantage over another contractor in future procurements.
Your contractor presents you with a request for equitable adjustment (claim). Describe
your process/steps that you will take in evaluating, processing and approving a claim?
First you should notify your attorney that you have received an Request for Equitable
Adjustment (REA). Then, you will need to determine whether the contractor's request
has any merit. If you determine that the request has merit, you may attempt to negotiate
a settlement with the contractor, involving your attorney as you deem necessary. If
negotiating with the contractor is difficult, and the involvement of your program counsel
has not helped, you may refer the case to legal for formal Alternative Dispute Resolution
(ADR). Formal ADR can be accomplished either before or after the issuance of a final
decision. If you determine that the REA is without merit, you may still attempt to discuss
the issues with the contractor prior to issuing the PCO's final decision. Once a stalemate
