A Follow-on Study of the Authority Relationships of Contract Officers in a Project/Program Management Environment.

摘要

The authority relationships of the procuring contract officer (PCO) over the past few years have been clouded with confusion and conflict. The introduction of the program management concept into the systems acquisition process added a new dimension to this problem. Within the program management environment, the PCO has traditionally had to serve two managers--his functional manager and the program manager. This organizational arrangement has served in the past to create a conflict of allegiances for the PCO. The objective was to explore the authority relationships of the PCO through a replication of research reported in AD-A006 338. The contract officer's authority relationships were measured as a contrast between his relationship with the program manager and his relationship with the Directorage of Procurement and Production. These relationships were examined within the System Program Offices of the Electronic Systems Div. at L. G. Hanscom Field, Mass. The study revealed no significant correlation in the two relationships. This result indicated that the PCO does perceive a difference in his authority relationship with the program manager as compared to the Directorate of Procurement and Production.