Which term describes the official who administers day-to-day activities following a contract award and may not have official Contracting Officer status but may be a CO delegate?

• A. Administrative Contracting Officer (ACO)
• B. Adjudicator
• C. Adversary
• D. Access

Answer: (A)

The concept here is post-award contract administration and how authority is delegated by the Contracting Officer. The term that fits is Administrative Contracting Officer. An Administrative Contracting Officer administers the contract day to day after award, handling routine performance monitoring, funding, invoices, and communications with the contractor. They may operate without official Contracting Officer status because they are designated as a CO delegate to carry out contract administration tasks within defined limits. When changes are needed, the ACO can authorize actions that fall within their delegated authority; for anything beyond those limits, the Contracting Officer must step in.

This role is distinct from a dispute-adjudicating function or other unrelated terms, which is why the Administrative Contracting Officer is the best fit for the description.