Question

You are a COR and your contract for a critical barracks construction project is three weeks behind schedule. Two hundred soldiers are due to arrive on the scheduled completion date. If the barracks are not available, the soldiers will have no living quarters. What should the COR look for in the contract that protects the government's best interest, i.e. paying for the housing of the 200 soldiers?

Answer 1

Answer:

The Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) should look for the contract terms that specify which party bears the costs associated with contract delivery delays.

In order to protect the government's best interest concerning the cost for the housing of the 200 soldiers for three weeks, the question to ask is if the contract provides that the contractor will bear the costs for housing the soldiers.  Who occasioned the delay?

Explanation:

There are usually some costs with construction contracts not meeting deadlines.  Some of them are that the asset may not be available at the required time for use, occasioning the need to incur some costs for alternatives.  How would the gap be filled?  Which party bears the costs of the delays?  Are there provisions in the contract specifying the party that assumes liability for some unforeseen delays?